Star Struck Part 01 (Smaller pieces, as requested)
by Bobbi Todd
Summary: The X-Men are summoned to a remote lab to rescue a mutant, who turns out to be as dangerous to them as she is to herself.
1. A Cry in the Night

Disclaimer:  
  
Star and a few other characters are my own and may not be used without my permission. All other characters are the property of Marvel Comics and are used here without their permission.  
  
All characters and incidents contained herein are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or incidents is coincidental.  
  
  
This story contains graphic fight scenes as well as sexual encounters. Parents be advised.  
  
If you liked the story, let me know. My E-Mail address is bobbitodd@hotmail.com. If you didn't like it, well, you are entitled to your own opinion, but please don't E-Mail me. My ego is fragile enough as it is.  
  
This story can happen pretty much anywhere along the Marvel time line, just at a 90-degree angle, although it was written before the AOA storyline. And since it has a "happily ever after", you *know* you'll never see it in the official Marvel Universe. Just "go with the flow" and enjoy!  
  
Bobbi  
  
I was requested to break the story into smaller parts, so here it is!  
B-  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Star Struck  
  
Bobbi Todd  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The peaceful silence of a mid-summer's night at Charles Xavier's mansion was shattered by a terror filled scream. Lights flicked on in bedrooms throughout the building as the X-men leaped from their bed to rush to the defense of ... someone.  
  
"Jean!" Cyclops held Jean's hands as she sat, wide eyed, in her bed.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" She stared through him, sweat beading her forehead. Wolverine and Beast reached the room simultaneously, followed, in short order, by the other X-men, all in disheveled sleeping clothes.  
  
Jean took a shuddering breath and finally looked at Cyclops. "There's a mutant in trouble. She's terrified. And in a lot of pain." Jean closed her eyes, and could hear the terrified pleading echoing through her mind. (Please! No more dark! Please! I'm sorry! Please!) "We've got to go after her." Jean got shakily to her feet.  
  
Beast nodded and said,  
  
"I'll get the blackbird ready." and turned away from the door.  
  
"Storm," Jean turned to her friend. "She's stronger than I am." Cyclops and Wolverine stared at her in disbelief. "I won't be able to control her by myself."  
  
"I will get what we need from the dispensary." Storm turned and was gone. Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee hurried away. Cyclops still held Jean's hand.  
  
"We'll find her, Jean."  
  
  
At the blackbird, the X-Men reassembled, uncertain as to what they would face, but eager to get started. Jean stood in the open hangar door, listening. Suddenly she staggered and almost fell. Rogue steadied her.  
  
"She's ... gone." Jean said in explanation.  
  
"Dead?" Rogue asked.  
  
"No. It felt more like ... a door being closed."  
  
"Can you still find her?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Well, we better get goin' then. Ever'body's ready. Which way?"  
  
"South." The blackbird, with the X-Men on board, took to the skies.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The X-Men flew south until well after the sun had risen. Jean, seated next to Cyclops, recoiled as if she had been struck, then fell from her chair, both hands to her head. Wolverine and Rogue helped her back into her seat as Cyclops tried to keep his attention on flying, then Rogue asked,   
  
"What happened, gal?" Jean raised her head and said shakily,  
  
"I think they opened the door." She shook her head gingerly, "She's gone again." She looked out the window of the blackbird. "Just a little further now." She turned to the other X-Men, "I don't know what is being done to her, but if we don't stop it quickly, she will go mad. And then she will be beyond our help."  
  
"What you saying, Chere?" Gambit asked.  
  
"She's saying a crazy telepath ain't gonna be easy to stop." Wolverine snarled. "So we gotta go in fast, one way or the other."  
  
  
  
  
Cyclops landed the blackbird near a large house Jean had pointed out. The X-Men poured out.  
  
"Where, Jean?"  
  
"Down. Right there." Cyclops turned his deadly gaze where Jean indicated and blasted a sloping tunnel in the ground. The X-Men hurried down it and into the underground lab through the smashed wall. Several technicians in white lab coats were getting to their feet, having been knocked down by the blast. Five or six guards scrambled for the automatic weapons which had been knocked from their hands. Most turned toward the X-Men, but one turned toward an enormous cylinder in the center of the room, obviously intending to open fire. In the transparent cylinder was the contorted body of a young woman, screaming soundlessly in terror or pain.  
  
"No!" Jean shouted, reaching out with her mind to stop the guard. The gun flew from his hands as Rogue swooped down upon him, smashing him backwards into a wall. Storm called upon the power of the winds, catching two of the guards and one of the technicians up in a whirlwind. Cyclops blasted the floor in front of a guard, hurling the guard away from the fray. Wolverine bounded into the smashed laboratory, followed closely by Beast and Gambit, with Jubilee, the smallest X-Man, bringing up the rear. Wolverine snarled when he saw the cylinder. It was the same type he had found himself in, so long ago. He leaped toward it.  
  
Gambit stepped in front of Jean, blocking the technician who had shakily raised a handgun and pointed it at her.  
  
"I t'ink not, mon amie." He tossed a charged card at the tech, striking a bank of instrument panels and exploding the whole in a shower of sparks just as Wolverine reached the cylinder. His claws slashed the cylinder. A torment filled shriek struck a tremendous blow through the mind of everyone in the room as the woman's body tumbled from the cylinder. The X-Men, the remaining guards and technicians, all dropped, stunned by the unexpected strike. Wolverine picked himself up, flinching as the terror filled scream continued in his mind. He was convinced that they had arrived too late to help this mutant.  
  
The woman was curled in on herself at the base of the smashed cylinder as Wolverine reached her. He grasped the front of the body suit she was wearing, turning her toward him as he extended his claws, wanting to make a quick, clean kill, to put her out of her obvious misery. As he was about to strike, her odd silver eyes seemed to focus on him and the screaming stopped abruptly. Her hands clutched his arm as he held her.  
  
"Please," she whispered, "hurry!" and she pushed her head back, giving him a clear shot at her throat. He felt the scream beginning to build again and knew she wouldn't be able to stop. He retracted his claws and struck her in the jaw with his fist. The scream stopped as the woman went limp.  
  
The other X-Men began to pick themselves up, shaking their heads. Gambit turned to Wolverine.  
  
"You stop her, no?"  
  
"Yeah. I stopped her."  
  
"Jean!" Cyclops' shout caused them both to turn. Jean Grey lay unmoving. Cyclops lifted her and cradled her in his arms.  
  
"Jean!" She did not respond. Storm hurried to the stricken telepath's side.  
  
"Cyclops, she is breathing. But we need to get her back to the mansion so we may care for her."  
  
"Right." Cyclops got to his feet, Jean in his arms, and carried her out of the lab, back toward the blackbird.  
  
Gambit turned back to Wolverine  
  
"You kill her, mon amie?"  
  
"Not yet." Wolverine snarled, glaring down at the limp figure still in his grasp. Her body was sprawled, her head back, still exposing her white throat. She was a small woman, no larger than Jubilee, and probably not much older. Some of the fury went out of his eyes as her looked at her. She was completely helpless.  
  
"Flamin' hell." Wolverine growled under his breath. He retracted his claws yet again and lifted her slight body to his shoulder. Gambit held his tongue.  
  
  
"What is this thing, Beast?" Jubilee asked as Beast examined what was left of the instruments and the cylinder.  
  
"It seems to be a sensory deprivation tank, although I've never seen one which was transparent."  
  
"That would seem to defeat its purpose. Unless, of course, you were blind."  
  
"Hmmm." Beast said thoughtfully, looking after Wolverine as he disappeared up the tunnel after Cyclops, Jean, and Storm, with the girl over his shoulder. Gambit and Rogue rounded up the stunned guards and technicians.  
  
"What's this stuff for?" Jubilee asked, pointing to a complicated electrical array.  
  
"I don't know. Let us inquire, shall we?"  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. A Dangerous Guest

Cyclops and Storm entered the conference room where the other X-Men waited.  
  
"Jean will be all right." Cyclops announced before anyone could ask the question that was on all their minds. "She's sleeping."  
  
"And our 'guest'?" Wolverine growled.  
  
"I have her under heavy sedation, and I intend to keep her that way until Professor Xavier returns." Storm answered.  
  
"Beast, were you able to find out what that equipment was for?" Cyclops asked as he took a seat at the table.  
  
"The technicians at the laboratory confirmed that it was a sensory deprivation tank, but with a twist." He paused and held up an electronic circuit board the size of a note pad. "This is a psi-dampener."  
  
"A what?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"It blocks a telepath. If you had one of these set up, a telepath couldn't see into, or out of, the area you had defined by the field. In this case, the field surrounded the sensory dep. tank."  
  
"I examined the girl we brought back. As you suggested, Beast, she did not respond, physically, to either light or sound. Not having the patient's cooperation makes it more difficult to determine for certain, but I believe that she is both deaf and blind."  
  
"It was Jubilee's suggestion, actually." Beast put in. Jubilee shrugged, beaming at being included.  
  
"So, they took this kid, whose main inputs are touch and ESP, and locked her in a tank that took both away." Wolverine snarled. "No wonder she went nuts."  
  
"Why'd they go and do a thing like that for?" Rogue put in, "What'd they think was gonna happen?"  
  
"Apparently pretty much what did happen, just not on the scale they were expecting." Beast answered. "I ... persuaded the technicians to brief me on their experiment. They were trying to force her to develop stronger telepathic powers. When they shut down the field the first time, she had been locked in for over a week already. She blew nearly every breaker in the place, knocked out several of their people. Of course, they had battery back-up for the important equipment." He looked at the circuit board with disgust. "They didn't waste a lot time turning the dampener back on."  
  
"Who do dis t'ing?" Gambit asked, holding Rogue's gloved hand.  
  
"The head man split right after they opened the field the first time." Jubilee put in. "Those geeks don't even know his name. They just called him "The Doctor"." She giggled. "Pretty lame, huh?"  
  
"They were about to, as they put it, 'terminate the experiment' when we arrived."  
  
"'Terminate..'" Jubilee whispered, questioningly.  
  
"They was gonna kill her, Chere." Jubilee looked horrified.  
  
"That was one o' our options, too." Wolverine said quietly. "Might still be the only option." Jubilee stared at him.  
  
"If Charles cannot help her, Jubilee, we may have no choice." Storm said.  
  
"Well, we are going after this 'Doctor' creep, aren't we? I mean, what if he gets his hands on another mutant? Won't he do the same thing again?" Jubilee was almost shrill.  
  
"Almost certainly." Beast answered. "The technicians were under orders not to damage the equipment or the, umm, specimen."  
  
"Specimen!" Wolverine snarled quietly, his fists clenched, his claws extended. "I always hated that word."  
  
"Easy, Wolverine." Cyclops said from the head of the table. "We'll find this 'Doctor'."  
  
"Yeah, mon amie. Den we show him what 'specimen' mean, no?"  
  
  
The X-Men parted after the meeting. Beast and Storm going to the laboratory to look over the captured circuit board. Rogue looked after them, thoughtfully.  
  
"I wonder if it can 'dampen' anything else."  
  
"We find out, Chere." Gambit assured her.  
  
Cyclops returned to Jean's side. Jubilee shrugged, then went to her own room.  
  
Wolverine watched them go their separate ways, then turned quietly toward the dispensary, where their 'guest' lay sleeping.  
  
  
The girl lay motionless on the hospital style bed, her dark hair framing her pale face. Wolverine stood watching her, wondering if he would be forced to kill her. He knew he could, but he hoped he wouldn't have to.  
  
"Are you to kill me now?" Wolverine started at the girl's words, spoken so quietly he had barely heard them. She turned her head slowly and looked up at him, her silver eyes dull.  
  
"You in a hurry ta die?" Wolverine glowered down at her, his arms across his chest.  
  
"No." she whispered. "But failed experiments are always terminated." Her eyes grew sad. "And I hurt your friend. I'm sorry." She turned her face away, but he could see enough to know she was crying.  
  
"What's your name, kid?"  
  
"What?" she turned to face him again, tears visible on her cheeks.  
  
"Your name. You know, what do people call you?"  
  
"I ... I am called TP36."  
  
"TP36? What kind o' name is that?"  
  
"It ... it is my designation. It means 'telepath number 36." She was beginning to breath faster. "Please. Don't wait too long." She closed her eyes, gasping now, her hands clutched the blankets on the bed. Wolverine pushed the intercom button.  
  
"Storm."  
  
"Yes, Wolverine?" The answer came quickly.  
  
"Our `guest' is awake."  
  
"That should not be possible. Is she all right?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"We are on our way. Wolverine, be careful. She is very powerful and could hurt you badly."  
  
Wolverine moved quickly back to the bed. He took the girl by her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes flew open, but did not focus on him.  
  
"C'mon, kid. Look at me." He shook her again. "Look at me!" She whimpered, the sound setting his teeth on edge.  
  
"C'mon, now. You gotta hang on. Help's comin'." Her eyes abruptly focused, locked on his. She reached up and grabbed his arms with more strength than he had thought possible for a woman of her size. She clung to him as he continued to speak softly to her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Storm burst in through the door to the dispensary, followed by Beast, Rogue, and Gambit. They were momentarily frozen by the tableau before them. Wolverine stood next to the girl's bed, their arms locked on one another.  
  
"Wolverine?" He didn't turn at the sound of his name, instead he said quietly,  
  
"Storm, she's hangin' on, but not for much longer. You'd better knock her out."  
  
Storm quickly prepared a syringe, then approached the pair, ready to inject the girl. When she touched her, however, the girl's gaze, previously locked with Wolverine's, snapped toward her. Storm recoiled as if from a physical blow, dropping the syringe as she fell backwards.  
  
"No!" Wolverine shouted, and then slapped the girl, drawing her attention back to him. Beast scooped up the syringe and drove it home as Wolverine was hurled away from the girl and into the nearby wall. The tranquilizer only took a moment to take effect. Wolverine slid down the wall and lay in a heap on the floor as the girl slowly collapsed. Rogue helped Storm to her feet and Gambit hurried to the motionless Wolverine.  
  
"Wolverine? You okay, mon amie?" Gambit asked. Wolverine opened his eyes and groaned.  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions, Cajun."  
  
"Yeah, you be okay." He offered his hand to his friend and Wolverine accepted the assistance. The five X-Men turned to the again unconscious girl with a collective sigh.  
  
  
In the hall outside the girl's room, Storm turned to Wolverine.  
  
"Was she awake when you went in?"  
  
"I don't think so. I'd been there a while before she said anything. Then she asked me if I was gonna kill her."  
  
"But she was rational?"  
  
"Yeah. We talked for a couple a minutes before she started to lose it. She told me not to wait too long to kill her."  
  
"That gal's got a death wish." Rogue put in. Wolverine shook his head.  
  
"No. She just don't want to hurt nobody else. She knows she hurt Jean."  
  
"Someone needs to stay with her until Charles returns."  
  
"She needs a name, too." Wolverine put in.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The kid don't even have a name. They called her some number."  
  
"That's awful!" Rogue said, "Anybody got an idea?"  
  
"Well," drawled Gambit, "I'm partial to Belle, myself." Rogue elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Just kiddin', Chere. No need to get physical."  
  
"Wolverine, do you have any suggestions?" Storm asked.  
  
"Yeah. I say we call her 'Star'."  
  
"That because she make you see mor'n you share o' stars, mon amie?" Wolverine glared at Gambit.  
  
"Will you two cut it out?" Rogue demanded. "I'll sit with her for a while, Storm." She put her hands on her hips and glared at Gambit and Wolverine. "And if she wakes up, I'll ask her if she likes it or not, okay?"  
  
"Rogue, if she even begins to stir, give her another shot, then call me."  
  
"All right, Storm. Don't worry. 'Sides, she's a little bitty thing, I should be able to handle her."  
  
"Rogue, do not take any chances. She could still be very dangerous." Storm cautioned.  
  
"Okay, okay." Rogue threw her hands up in surrender. "I'll be careful. Now, you guys run along."  
  
Storm, nursing sore ribs, went back into the girl's room to prepare a syringe, should Rogue need it. Beast went with her.  
  
"She looks like a child."  
  
"Yes." Storm sighed. "But a very dangerous child. The first tranquilizer I gave her should have kept her quiet for eight hours, not less than two. The second dose would have knocked you out, Beast." She sighed again. "I hope Charles hurries. I cannot continue giving her this much without hurting her." She smoothed the girl's hair away from her face.  
  
"When is he coming back?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest. More likely, tomorrow evening."  
  
"I hope we've got that long."  
  
"So do I."  
  
  
  
"Chere..." Gambit said uncertainly.  
  
"Don't worry, Remy. I'll be careful." Rogue answered him seriously. "Now, you go after Wolverine. If I know him at all, he's gone to the kitchen for a beer. He could probably use some company, too. Even if it is yours." Gambit caught her up in his arms and spun her around.  
  
"Okay, Chere. But you call if you need anyt'ing, no?"  
  
"I promise. Now put me down." Grinning, Gambit put her feet back on the floor. He blew her a kiss as he turned toward the kitchen. She shook her head, then went into the girl's room.  
  
"Ah, Rogue." Storm said, turning away from the bed. "Here is the syringe if you need it. I am going to check on Jean. Someone will relieve you before too long."  
  
"If you need me, I'll be in the lab, looking at that application we discussed."  
  
"Thanks, Beast. Got it, Storm." Storm and Beast left, going their separate ways. Rogue pulled up a chair and began leafing through a book left in the room by a previous patient. The girl didn't move.  
  
  
"Here you be, mon amie, just like Rogue say." Gambit said, as he took a beer out of the refrigerator and joined Wolverine at the kitchen table.  
  
"What d'ya want, Cajun." Wolverine growled.  
  
"Not a t'ing, mon amie, not a t'ing." Gambit sipped his drink. "Don' worry 'bout de little femme, Wolverine. De Professor, he be back soon. He take care o' her."  
  
"I hope so, Cajun. I sure do hope so."  
  
  
At a quiet tap on the door, Cyclops rose from his seat beside Jean's bed and, moving silently, opened the door. It was Storm.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"Sleeping. Is everything all right?" He stepped through the door into the hall and closed it behind him, so that he and Storm could speak without disturbing Jean.  
  
"After giving her enough sedatives to kill a horse, the young lady is sleeping again."  
  
"'Again'?"  
  
"Yes. Wolverine stopped in to check on her, and she awakened. They spoke for a few minutes, then she started to slip and Wolverine called for me. We sedated her, and now she is sleeping. Again."  
  
"That sounds too easy."  
  
"Yes, it does, does it not." Storm sighed. "It was not that easy, of course. If it had been anyone other than Wolverine, he would probably have been badly injured. She seems to have, um, localized her strikes. Wolverine said she was rational for several minutes before, as he put it, she started to lose it."  
  
"What have we gotten ourselves into, Storm?"  
  
"Hopefully, nothing we can not handle." She answered. "Well, I just wanted to check on Jean, to make sure she had not been disturbed."  
  
"She's fine. Sleeping like a baby."  
  
"I will leave you to your own rest then. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Storm."  
  
  
The enormous house was quiet as night fell. Rogue looked up from her book every few minutes to check on her charge. After an hour or so, she looked up, only to find that she was being regarded in turn. Her heart in her throat at being caught off guard, she put her book down and said,  
  
"Well, hello, sugah. You feeling okay?"  
  
"I killed him didn't I." The girl said, her voice completely flat.  
  
"Killed him? Who? You mean Wolverine?" Rogue laughed shakily, "He's a mite harder to kill than most, honey, believe me. At most, you might 'a bruised his ego. An' he's got plenty of that to go around."  
  
"He's not...?" A hint of desperate hope entered the girl's voice.  
  
"No way, sugah. He's still down in the kitchen drinking a brew with Gambit, if I know anything at all about those two." She picked up the syringe and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Now, Storm said she wanted you to sleep as much as possible, and she said I was to give this to you as soon as you woke up, okay?" The girl nodded, and didn't resist as Rogue injected her with the sedative.  
  
"By the way, folks call me Rogue. That reminds me, Wolverine said you didn't have a proper name so he thought one up for you. What do ya say to being called "Star" around here? That sound good to you?" The girl looked at her, her silver eyes glittering in the light of the room.  
  
"Star." she murmured, "I like that. Star." Her eyes closed and she slept. Rogue heaved a sigh of relief and moved to the intercom.  
  
"Storm?"  
  
"Yes, Rogue. Are you all right?" Came the immediate reply.  
  
"I'm fine, gal. But do you have anything stronger we can give this little thing? She scared me outta half a year's growth, just by looking at me."  
  
"She is awake?"  
  
"Not anymore."  
  
"I will see what I can come up with."  
  
"You do that." Rogue stood by the intercom for a moment, then triggered it again.  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Yeah, Rogue." Wolverine's voice answered after a moment.  
  
"The little gal likes the name you picked for her. And tell Gambit to sit back down. She's sleepin'."  
  
Wolverine turned and grinned at Gambit, who had spilled his beer in his haste to get to his feet. He turned back to the intercom.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Sure, no problems a'tall."  
  
"You need anything?"  
  
"Come to think of it, one o' y'all could spell me for a bit, so I can stretch ma legs."  
  
"Be right there." Without a word, Wolverine helped Gambit clean up the spilled beer, then both turned to the door.  
  
  
  
  
Storm and Beast hung an IV bottle from the rack behind the bed. The line ran to a needle in Star's arm.  
  
"With a steady trickle of the sedative, she should sleep the rest of the night." Beast said as Storm checked the tape holding the needle in place.  
  
"I certainly hope so." She stepped back and looked down at Star. "Perhaps the crisis has passed."  
  
"I don't know, Storm. That little gal was awful low." Rogue put in doubtfully.  
  
"Well, we shall see how she does in the morning." Storm yawned. "I will be in my room, if I am needed." She and Beast passed Wolverine and Gambit in the hall outside Star's room. Wolverine stepped inside.  
  
"I'll keep an eye on her tonight, Rogue."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. Go on, get outta here." Gambit held his hand out to Rogue from the hallway. She took it willingly, then turned back to Wolverine.  
  
"Good night, Logan." Wolverine just nodded as he pulled the chair away from the wall. Rogue closed the door behind her. Wolverine turned the lights all the way down, then moved the chair closer to the bed. He sat down, and propped his feet on the bed rail. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited, watching the sleeping girl. After a while, he dozed.  
  
  
The clock read a little after three when he was awakened by a frightened cry. He stood and reached for the bed.  
  
"You okay, kid?" His hand brushed hers and she clutched it convulsively.  
  
"I..I can't see anything."  
  
"Hang on, I'll get the light." He started to move away, but she clung to his hand.  
  
"No! Don't leave me here!"  
  
"Wait a sec. I think I can reach the blinds." After a moment, the room brightened, starlight flowing in. Star gasped again.  
  
"What are those?" She whispered.  
  
"What?" From her tone, Wolverine half expected to see a three headed monster on the lawn.  
  
"Those lights."  
  
"The stars? You've never seen the stars?"  
  
"Is that the sky, then?"  
  
"You've never seen the sky, either." Wolverine's voice was low.  
  
"Only in other people's memories."  
  
"When I find that 'Doctor' of yours, I am gonna skin him alive." There was no mistaking the fury he felt.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why? What kind o' question is that?" he snarled. Star cringed. "You were treated like an animal."  
  
"I am an animal. A lab animal."  
  
"Not anymore, you're not." He struggled with his anger, knowing he was just frightening her. He moved around to the window side of the bed.  
  
"You're a person, now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just because you are, okay? Now, c'mere. I want to show you something." He adjusted the bed so that she was sitting up, and opened the window. Then he sat down on the bed next to her, put his arm around her shoulders, and started pointing out the constellations. They watched the stars move across the sky until dawn. When the sun rose, she asked him what it was.  
  
"That's the sun. Our own personal star."  
  
"Its pretty."  
  
"Yes, it is." As they watched the sun rise, he realized that he had taken it for granted too long. She put her head on his shoulder, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
Storm quietly opened the door about an hour later. If she was surprised at Wolverine's position, she made no indication of it. She paused for a moment, watching Star sleep in the crook of his arm, then said,  
  
"Did she have a quiet night?"  
  
"She's afraid o' the dark." Wolverine answered, offering no other explanation.  
  
"Can she see, then?" Wolverine shrugged.  
  
"She knew it was dark."  
  
Star stirred against him, abruptly opening her eyes. She looked up at him, then turned her gaze to Storm. She sat up in the bed and Wolverine got to his feet behind her.  
  
"Is she okay?" Star asked. Storm blinked at her for a moment then said,  
  
"Who?"  
  
Star looked over her shoulder to Wolverine,  
  
"Your friend. Her name is Jean? Is she all right? I didn't mean to hurt her." She looked sharply at Storm. "I hurt you, too. You were trying to help him, and I hurt you." Her voice was becoming shrill. Wolverine put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Take it easy, kid. I really don't wanna do this again." Star shuddered, then took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. Storm stepped forward and took her hand.  
  
"Jean is fine. I just came from there. She will be going down to breakfast soon." Storm looked past Star's tense face and said to Wolverine, "Why do you not go get something to eat. Ask someone to bring a tray for Star." Wolverine nodded and, with a final reassuring squeeze for Star, he moved around the bed and out the door. Star watched him anxiously. Storm cupped Star's chin with her free hand, turning her attention away from the door.  
  
"As for myself, I have a few bruises, which will heal soon."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Wolverine heals very quickly, child."  
  
"Then I did hurt him."  
  
"Yes. But he knows it was unintentional. As do Jean and I."  
  
"I tried to kill him." Star had begun to cry, but with none of the hysteria which indicated a tip toward madness. Storm drew her close, and held her while she cried.  
  
"He does not blame you."  
  
"Why didn't he kill me?" Star sobbed, heedless of Storm's words. Shocked, Storm pulled away, holding Star as arms length.  
  
"We do not kill unnecessarily. Star. Stop this. Right now." Star sobbed, but met Storm's gaze. "We want to help you." Storm continued. Star nodded.  
  
"I know. But if you can't, if the madness returns, will he be able to do it? Its still there. I can feel it, boiling just below the surface, looking for a crack to seep through, to engulf me again." She took a deep, shuddering breath, "Next time, I might kill him."  
  
"Professor Xavier will be here soon. He should be able to help you deal with the madness." With a final, gentle shake, Storm said "Now, let us talk no more of killing. Can you tell me how you came to be in that laboratory?"  
  
Star shrugged and shook her head.  
  
"I was always there, every since I can remember."  
  
"What did you do there?"  
  
"Like I was telling Logan, I..."  
  
"He prefers to be called Wolverine." Storm interrupted.  
  
"Why? He thinks of himself as Logan." Now it was Storm's turn to shrug.  
  
"I do not know. He just prefers it that way."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I am sorry I interrupted. Please go on." Star leaned back against the bed, as Storm found a more comfortable position.  
  
"I was telling Lo.., uh, Wolverine, I'm just a lab animal. They taught me to read minds without being caught. And how to move things without touching them. Stuff like that."  
  
"And at the end?"  
  
"I...I wasn't strong enough for what the Doctor wanted. He wanted me to be stronger. But he didn't tell me it was going to be so dark, and so...so...alone. I tried. I really did. But I could feel my mind going to pieces, looking for a way out." She looked down at her hands. "Now I'm not even a lab animal. I'm just another failed experiment, past due for termination."  
  
"'Another'? You were not the only mutant in the lab?"  
  
"No. But I was the last. He'll have to start over with another batch."  
  
"Not if we can find him first. He must be stopped."  
  
"Why? We were all mutations, not people."  
  
"Star, everyone you have met here is a mutant. And we are very definitely people. Come, let me remove the needle. It does not seem to have done its job in any case. Then we will set you up with a room of your own."  
  
  
Storm was showing Star around her room when Rogue and Jubilee came in.  
  
"Knock, knock!" Jubilee chattered happily as she pushed the door open. She had a bundle of clothing tucked under one arm. Rogue carried a covered tray.  
  
"Hi, sugah. Remember me? We met last night." Rogue asked as she put the tray down on a small table.  
  
"I think so. You are Rogue?"   
  
"Tha's right. Storm, you go on down and get your breakfast. Jubilee an' I'll help Star settle in."  
  
"Thank you, Rogue." Storm turned to Star, "I will be back soon, child." She left.  
  
"I'm Jubilee. We're about the same size, so I grabbed a couple of old outfits outta my closet. Hope you like 'em. 'Course, we'll have to hit the Mall to get you all set up." As she talked, Jubilee spread the clothing out on the bed. Star just stared at it.  
  
"Let her eat first, Jubilee." Rogue laughed, "C'mon over here, gal. Let's see what the fellas fixed up for ya for breakfast." Star sat down in a chair next to the table. Rogue took the cover off the tray. "Well, now. You've got hotcakes and sausage here. A big glass o' milk, and a cup o' hot chocolate. Guess they decided you weren't old enough for coffee. 'Course, the way Gambit makes it, its not fit to drink. Syrup's here in this little pitcher." Star stared at the food. "Well, go on gal, dig in. You don't want 'em to think you don't like their cookin', do ya?"  
  
"What is that?" Star finally asked, still looking at the tray.  
  
"What d'ya mean, honey?" Rogue asked, quietly.  
  
"I've never seen food like this."  
  
"Boy, Wolverine said you'd been locked up, but I didn't know he meant in a box."  
  
"Hush, Jubilee." Rogue sat down on the arm of the chair next to Star. "These are hot cakes. I like 'em with butter and syrup. You put the butter on like this," she spread the butter onto the top hot cake, "then you pour syrup over the whole thing. Then you eat it." Star hesitantly picked up her fork, cut a piece out of the hot cake, and took a bite. Jubilee giggled at the expression on her face.  
  
"Its good!" Star said, after a moment.  
  
"If you like that, you're gonna love frozen yogurt!" Jubilee declared.  
  
"Go ahead and finish your breakfast, hon. Then you can try on some of the clothes Jubilee brought for you." Star nodded, eating quickly. She burned her fingers on the cup of hot chocolate, spilling some when she quickly put the cup down. At her stricken expression, Rogue hurriedly reassured her.  
  
"Its okay, sugah. I should 'a warned you. Hot cakes aren't really hot, but hot chocolate is." She mopped up the spilled chocolate. "The milk is cold. If you hold the glass with your burned fingers, it'll make 'em feel better." Star gingerly picked up the glass. She smiled up at Rogue.  
  
"That does feel better." She put the glass back down, and looked at the reddened skin of her fingers. "Is this a burn?" she asked. Rogue took her hand and examined Star's fingers.  
  
"Yeah, but its not a bad 'un. It'll probably fade in a little while. You 'bout finished here?" Star nodded. "Well, then. Let's get you outta that skintight and inta some proper clothes." Jubilee hopped up from the edge of the bed and grabbed a handful of clothes. Star peeled off the body suit without hesitation. Her body was well muscled, her skin unblemished and nearly as pale as an albino's. Rogue and Jubilee helped her choose a pair of dark leggings, a short, frilly skirt, covered with bright flowers, and a white peasant blouse. After Star had dressed, with quite a bit of help with the unfamiliar garments, Rogue and Jubilee stepped back to view the results.  
  
"Wow." Jubilee whistled. "I wish I looked that good in my old clothes."  
  
Rogue turned Star toward the mirror on the back of the door.  
  
"Well, what d'ya think?" Star stared at the mirror for a moment, then raised a hand to her cheek.  
  
"Is that what I look like?" Jubilee started to make a smart remark, but Rogue's glance quelled her.  
  
"Shore is, sugah. And you look just fine." Rogue looked her up and down once more. "Now, we gotta do somethin' 'bout shoes."  
  
"I've never worn shoes."  
  
"Well, that certainly limits our options, don't it? Any ideas, Jubilee?"  
  
"You know, I got a pair of those moccasin boots about a year ago, but I didn't like the way they felt. Made me feel like I was barefoot, so they should be perfect. Hang on, I'll go get 'em."  
  
Jubilee was only gone a moment, returning with a pair of soft, black boots, trimmed in silver.  
  
"Here you go. I sure hope they fit." Star sat down and started to pull one boot on. Smiling, Rogue stopped her.  
  
"Other foot, hon. That's right. See how they curve in on one side? Same shape as your foot. That's got it. Jubilee, those boots are the perfect touch. You done good, hon."  
  
"Thank you. Thank you both." Star said suddenly. "I've never been treated like this."  
  
"Well, get used to it. That's the way we do things around here." Jubilee said. Rogue smiled at the grown-up tone of her voice.  
  
"C'mon, Rogue, let's go show her off!" Jubilee tugged Star toward the door.  
  
"You feel up to it, hon?" Rogue asked.  
  
"I think so." Star answered, uncertainly.  
  
"C'mon, then! I'll get the dishes later." Jubilee pulled Star after her. Star glanced appealingly at Rogue, who laughed and followed them.  
  
  
  



	3. A Mistake, A Rescue, and A Trip to the M...

Most of the X-Men were gathered in the living room, sprawled on chairs and divans. The focus of their attention was Charles Xavier. When Jubilee saw him, a huge grin split her face.  
  
"Professor!" she shouted as she dashed into the room, engulfing him in a Jubilee sized bear hug.  
  
"Its good to see you too, Jubilee." He said, after he had regained his breath.  
  
"Welcome home, Professor." Rogue said from the doorway.  
  
"Hello, Rogue." He turned his attention to Star, standing motionless next to Rogue. "And you must be Star. The others have been telling me about you." Star didn't move. "Come here, child. I won't bite." Star took a tentative step forward, then looked back at Rogue, as if for support.  
  
"Go on, hon. If anybody can help you, he can." Star moved forward and cautiously accepted Professor Xavier's extended hand.  
  
Gambit moved to stand next to Rogue in the doorway.  
  
"She clean up real nice, Chere. 'Course, she don' come close to matchin' up wit' you."  
  
"Thanks, Gambit. After see'n myself in the mirror beside that, I needed a little ego boost."  
  
"Why, Chere? She just a kid. Look like a scarecrow next to you." Rogue smiled at him and he put an arm around her.  
  
  
Professor Xavier was introducing Star to the X-Men.  
  
"And this is Jean Grey."  
  
"Wolverine tells me you were concerned that you had injured me." Jean said to Star. "As you can see, I am quite well."  
  
"Where is Wolverine?" Rogue said quietly to Gambit.  
  
"You know Wolverine, Chere. He be off doin' what ever it is Wolverine do when he go off by hisself."  
  
"Do you feel up to speaking with me?" the professor asked. Star just nodded. "Come, then." Star went with him into his study. He closed the doors behind them.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine was sitting on the bank of the small lake which was on the land owned by Professor Xavier, watching the waves and occasionally tossing small pebbles into the water. Star's tale of being nothing but a lab animal had unsettled him. He knew had to regain his balance if he was to be of assistance in finding, and stopping, her "Doctor". The sun was nearly overhead when he headed back to the mansion. He was crossing the open yard in back of the building when he heard a cry of pain, in two voices. The first was Star, the second was... Professor Xavier! He entered the house at a run and was the first to reach the study. He flung the door open and took in the scene at a glance. Professor Xavier was on the floor, his wheelchair overturned. Star was kneeling before him, her hands to her head. She turned to him, her silver eyes unseeing.  
  
"Help me, Logan." he heard, in his head. "I've got to go after him." As the other X-Men crowded in the door behind him, he stepped forward and took her hands in his.  
  
"You got it, kid." The room faded around him. He was surrounded by a light mist, masking everything that was not nearby. He was aware of a swirling darkness just below them. He still held Star's hands. She pulled one free and turned away from him, toward the darkness. They moved down, closer and closer to the dark pool. He looked about, desperately, for an anchor, knowing that if they fell in, they were both lost. Finally, he thrust his claws into the surface they were moving across. Star disappeared into the darkness and he clung to her hand even as she pulled him deeper into it. As his hand, then his arm, entered the darkness, he felt a searing pain, as if he had plunged his hand into an open flame. But he held on. Then Jean was there, helping to pull Star back up. Together, they pulled and, slowly, she reappeared, dragging Professor Xavier with her. She thrust Xavier at Wolverine, who reflexively caught him, releasing Star in the process.  
  
"Jean, get them out of here!" Star cried as the dark whirlpool grew larger, rising toward them. Star turned away, trying to hold the dark tide back, to give them time to escape the depths of her mind. Jean drew them up and out, Wolverine holding on to the Professor's limp form. Abruptly, the mist was gone. Jean had returned him to his own body.  
  
Jean stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders. She released him and turned to Professor Xavier. Wolverine still held Star's hands. Her body was rigid, her hands ice cold. She shuddered and then, slowly, collapsed, her body loosing its tension as if her bones were indeed made of ice that was melting. He lowered her gently to the floor.  
  
"Professor." Jean knelt beside their mentor. "Professor, can you hear me?"  
  
"Yes, Jean."  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes. I will be fine." Cyclops righted the wheelchair. "What about the child?" the Professor asked as Jean helped him back into his chair.  
  
"She is unconscious." Jean looked at Star for a moment. "Professor, what happened?"  
  
"I underestimated the depth of her fear. I only hope the damage I have caused is not irreversible." He paused for a moment. "Wolverine, are you.."  
  
"I'm fine." Wolverine interrupted. "The kid don't look so good, though."  
  
"Bring her, quickly." He turned his chair toward the door as Wolverine lifted the girl's inert form from the floor. Wolverine followed the Professor to his ready room.  
  
"Put her there, Wolverine." Professor Xavier indicated a chair, reminiscent of a dentist's chair. Wolverine gently placed Star in it.  
  
"She ain't breathing, Chuck."  
  
"Heartbeat?"  
  
"Real slow."  
  
"Jean. Keep her alive." Xavier placed the helmet link to Cerebro on his head. "Scott, help Jean." He turned to Star, lying pale and unmoving in the chair, her chest rising and falling only as Jean willed it to. "Wolverine, she has turned to you twice now. I may need your help."  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
"Quickly, Charles. I've taken over her heart, but other systems are beginning to fail." Jean spoke sharply.  
  
"Here, Wolverine." The Professor indicated a standard chair, pushed up against the wall. Wolverine pulled the chair up next to Star and Xavier as Xavier began his Psi probe.  
  
Xavier and Wolverine were standing on a sloping plane, enveloped in a fine mist. Wolverine raised an eyebrow at Xavier.  
  
"One can do many thing on the astral plane, Wolverine. Come. We must find her, and quickly. Jean cannot maintain an unoccupied body for long." Together, they turned and walked down slope. The grade grew steeper until it became difficult for them to maintain their footing. Suddenly, the black whirlpool appeared as a wall before them. They approached cautiously. Professor Xavier put out his hand, intending to reach through the whirlpool, but the surface was solid. He concentrated, drew back his fist, and struck. To no avail.  
  
"Let me give it a shot." Wolverine stepped forward, claws extended, and slashed at the surface of the whirlpool. He met no resistance and nearly fell through. Professor Xavier steadied him, then tried again. The surface was still solid for him.  
  
"Looks like it up ta me, don't it?"  
  
"Wolverine, wait!" But Wolverine had already leaped into the darkness.  
  
  
Wolverine found himself in a lab. There was no mistaking the odor, even if the equipment was unfamiliar. The wall at the back of the large room was transparent. On the other side was a cage, there was no other word for it. It included a toilet and shower cubicle, a table and chair, and a small bed. On the bed was Star. She was turned away from the wall, curled in on herself as she had been after he had released her from the sensory deprivation tank just the day before.  
  
"Hey, kid!" He called to her as he approached the wall. She turned toward him, then sat up on the bed.  
  
"What are you doing here."  
  
"I came to get ya out."  
  
"Go away."  
  
"'Fraid I can't do that, darlin'. Seems the door I came through ain't there no more." She just looked at him.  
  
"What is this place, anyhow?" He asked.  
  
"It is my place." She answered with a shrug.  
  
"Wha's the matter? Ya didn't like the mansion?"  
  
"I do not belong there."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Your Professor brought me back here."  
  
"He didn't mean for you ta stay, you know."  
  
"I know." she whispered. "But when he went through the barrier, it hurt him." She leaped to her feet, her hands clenched at her sides. "I am tired of hurting people! That's all I do. All I'm good for."  
  
"Professor Xavier ain't hurt, kid. He's right outside." He moved closer to the clear surface between them. "C'mon, I'll show ya." He raised his hand to slash an opening in the cage wall.  
  
"Logan! No!" Star cried. When his claws hit the transparent wall, there was a clap of thunder and a shower of sparks. Wolverine was thrown back.  
  
He sat up after a moment, shaking his head.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Its a force field."  
  
"How do I shut it off?"  
  
"The controls are over there. Are you all right?"  
  
"Jus' fine, darlin'." He shut down the force field. "Now, can we get outta here?"  
  
"I...I can't."  
  
"Look, kid. If ya stay here, you're gonna die."  
  
"Perhaps that would be best."  
  
"I don't wanna hear no more o' that, you hear me!" Wolverine snarled. "Jean's out there, wearing herself out to keep your body alive so's you have a place ta come back to. An' the Professor's on the other side o' that barrier thing, probl'y worried sick 'bout both of us. You are comin' back with me, right now. Is that clear?" Star cringed, cowering away from him, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Now, am I gonna hafta cut a hole in this wall, or are you gonna show me the door." The wall he had come in through shimmered, and a door appeared.  
  
"That's more like it." He turned back to Star and held out his hand. "C'mon, kid."  
  
"I'm afraid." she said as she took his hand.  
  
"If ya ain't a little afraid, now and then, how ya gonna know you're alive?" He pulled her to her feet, and they moved toward the door. He opened it. On the other side was the dark barrier. She clung to his hand like a lost child. Together, they leaped.  
  
  
  
  
They landed in a heap at Professor Xavier's feet. As Wolverine got to his feet, he said to Star,  
  
"See, I told ya." He helped her up and turned to Xavier. "Can we get outta here?"  
  
"Not yet. Star, we must block this off. When you are ready to deal with it, we will try again. I apologize for hurting you, child. I did not realize how deeply you had been traumatized." Wolverine growled softly, but didn't say anything. Xavier took Star's other hand, she had not released Wolverine, and together they built a wall around the swirling black whirlpool so Star would not have to fear her own mind. Then the three of them turned and started up the slope. The journey out did not take as long as the journey in.  
  
Star gasped, and began to breath on her own. As her heartbeat steadied, Jean slowly withdrew her control. She nearly collapsed as Wolverine and Xavier both opened their eyes. Scott steadied her.  
  
"Wolverine," Xavier said, "One day, your rash actions will be the death of you."  
  
"Probably." Wolverine answered with a grin. "But you ain't in no position to talk." He turned to Star. "How's the kid?"  
  
"She's asleep, Wolverine. She came back to a body exhausted by her, shall we say, absence. She'll be fine." Xavier answered after checking on Star. "Have someone put her to bed."  
  
"Yes, Professor." Jean nodded to Cyclops and he gently lifted Star from the chair. Cradling her in his arms like a child, Cyclops followed Jean from the ready room. As the door opened, concerned X-Men scattered, making way for Jean, Cyclops, and their newest charge. Jean closed the door behind them and fended off anxious questions.  
  
"Is everything OK?"  
  
"Jean, what happened?"  
  
"Everything is fine. As to what happened, I really don't know, but I believe that she is ..." Jean paused for a moment, "far stronger than the Professor expected. Now, we must put the child back to bed. She should be fine tomorrow." She turned to follow Cyclops to Star's room, but stopped again as Jubilee tugged at her arm.  
  
"Jean? What about Wolvie? Is he OK?" Jean peered into Jubilee's concerned face, then smile, reassuringly.  
  
"Wolverine is fine, Jubilee." She looked back at the door of the ready room. "I believe he wished to speak to Charles in private for a few moments." She cupped Jubilee's cheek with one hand. "Don't worry, dear one. He'll be out soon." Then she turned away, following Cyclops. Jubilee sighed, then chose a place where she could surreptitiously watch the door to the ready room.  
  
  
Wolverine leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and just looked at Professor Xavier.  
  
"All right, Wolverine." the Professor said. "Go ahead."  
  
"What happened, Chuck? Ya nearly got yerself killed."  
  
"I know, Wolverine. And I nearly killed my patient as well." He turned his chair, placing the helmet back in its storage compartment. "Truthfully, I am not certain." He turned back to Wolverine, "Star has a great deal of conscious control over her powers. However, when she is frightened or under stress, her powers seem to..." he paused, looking for the correct words, "increase on a nearly exponential curve. She doesn't seem to have much control at all when that happens. When she broke away from me, I do not believe she had reached her peak."  
  
"You sayin' she's stronger than you?" Wolverine asked in disbelief.  
  
"I'm saying that I believe she can be as strong as she needs to be. We shall have to be very careful with this one, Wolverine. Very careful indeed."  
  
  
When the door to the ready room opened, Jubilee nearly knocked her chair over trying to get up.  
  
"Hi, Wolvie."  
  
"Hey, Jubilee. How's my favorite X-Man?"  
  
"Doing fine. Listen, um, lunch is sorta catch as catch can. You wanna go in ta town and grab a burger?"  
  
"Sure thing, darlin'. Lemme get ma hat."  
  
  
"So, what d'ya think of our newest addition?" Jubilee asked, around her hamburger.  
  
"Who? Star?" Wolverine shrugged. "Kids got guts, ya gotta give 'er that."  
  
"So she's, what, a telepath?"  
  
"'Parently. Xavier says she's got a heck of a lot of push, too."  
  
"Do you think she's pretty?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, you know, Rogue and I picked out her clothes and stuff, and I just wondered if..." Jubilee was paying a lot of attention to her shake, "well, you liked the way she turned out, is all."  
  
"She don't hurt the eyes to look at, if that's what you mean." Wolverine resisted an impulse to ruffle Jubilee's hair. "But then, neither do you, half pint." Jubilee couldn't decide whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, so she didn't answer.  
  
"Listen, long as we're here, you wanna catch a matinee, or somethin'?"  
  
"That'd be great! There's a new action movie playing that I've been dying to see! Its all about...." Jubilee chattered on, happy to be with her friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, Storm found Star sitting on the back deck, watching the clouds in the early morning sunlight. Storm watched her for several minutes before she realized what was unsettling about the young woman. She was absolutely motionless. The only movement discernible was the slight pulse visible in her throat, and the slow, steady rise and fall of her breathe. Her silver eyes stared upward, unblinking.  
  
"Star?" Storm called at last. Star turned toward her,  
  
"Good morning, Storm."  
  
"Did you sleep well, dear?"  
  
"Yes." Storm sat down next to her. "Are those clouds?"  
  
"Yes, child."  
  
"I didn't think they would be so ... big."  
  
"Ours is a wide and wondrous world, Star. And you have much to learn." They sat quietly for a while. At last, Storm stood up.  
  
"Would you care to help me start breakfast? It is an informal meal, but I have found that the faster you feed this crew, the more quickly they become civilized." Star got up and went with Storm into the house.  
  
The kitchen was empty, not surprising considering the hour. Storm instructed Star on how the coffee was made, then started preparing the morning meal. Star helped by bringing Storm the ingredients needed, although she had to be told exactly what they looked like.  
  
"In the third cabinet over are the spices. Would you bring me the Cinnamon, please. Just read the labels, they are in no particular order."  
  
"I don't know how to read, Storm."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know how to read." Star repeated. Storm considered for a moment, knowing a taste of the fury that Wolverine held when considering the "Doctor" who had so mistreated and neglected this child.  
  
"All right, dear. We will take one thing at a time. The Cinnamon is a reddish brown powder. Not the reddish orange powder, that is cayenne pepper, and while Gambit would probably appreciate it in his eggs, most of the others would not." Star turned to the cabinet and brought the proper spice to Storm.  
  
Soon, the odor of fresh coffee and frying bacon brought other X-Men down to the kitchen. Each pitched in where ever their help was needed. Very shortly breakfast was complete and on the table in the large dining room. Storm noticed that Star watched everything very intently, and realized that she had probably not eaten with other people before. A renewed flash of fury took her a moment to suppress. When she looked up, Jean was watching her. Jean tilted her head in a question. Storm smiled and shook her head.  
  
"Star, are you finished, child?"  
  
"Yes, Storm."  
  
"Then put your plates in the sink and come with me, please." Star did as she was told.  
  
Storm stopped in the hall outside the lab and turned to Star, following almost like an obedient puppy.  
  
"First, child, I want you to understand that you are not a prisoner here. You are not required to do anything you do not wish to do." Storm looked at her intently. "Do you understand?" Star nodded.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Very well. Now, if you want, but only if you want, we can try to find out more about you. About your body and how you use your powers. Is that all right?"  
  
"All right."  
  
Storm opened the door and stepped in. Star stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the room.  
  
"It is all right, child." Storm said in a quiet voice. "We will not hurt you, and we will stop the tests whenever you say." Star swallowed hard, but stepped into the room.  
  
"Beast?" Storm called.  
  
"Ah, Storm. Just a moment." A voice answered from the back of the room. Beast appeared, wearing a white lab coat.  
  
"Good morning, Star." He said. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine." She answered in a small voice.  
  
"Shall we begin?" Star hesitated, then nodded.  
  
"Very well. First, I would like to attach some sensors, do you mind?"  
  
"No."  
  
"This one," Beast said as he and Storm began to connect different sensors to Star's body "is to record your heartbeat, this one your respiration, this...." He spoke softly to her, gradually calming her until all the sensors were attached.  
  
"Would you step up on the scale? Thank you." Beast noted her weight on a chart.  
  
"All right. We are going to test your eyes first, then your ears. OK?" Star nodded again. They quickly determined that she did not use her eyes to see with, or her ears to hear. Her powers supplied substitutes.  
  
"Nearly finished, child." Beast told Star. "Just a few questions. Ready?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you know the extent of your abilities?"  
  
"No. I know some of the things I can do. The Doctor wasn't finished teaching me. He thought," she swallowed, "he thought I should be stronger, first."  
  
"I see. Well, show us what you do know."  
  
"I can reach into your mind and find something."  
  
"Go ahead, dear." Beast said, bracing himself.  
  
"Your real name is Henry McCoy. You call yourself 'Beast' because of your size and your agility, not because of your fur." Beast looked surprised "I like your fur, it looks soft."  
  
"I did not feel your touch on my mind, Star. You are quite good. What else?"  
  
"I can take hold of your mind, make you do what I want. But I don't like to do that. It feels ... bad."  
  
"You don't have to, dear. Although the data would be interesting. Can you do this with someone you haven't already touched?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Try with me, child." Storm said.  
  
"But I've already..." Star stopped.  
  
"Already what, Star." Beast asked gently.  
  
"I couldn't find the Cinnamon!" Star burst out. "So I, I lifted it from your mind." Storm looked startled. Then laughed.  
  
"All right, dear. We will skip this for now. You said you could move things with your mind. What size object?" In answer, Storm found herself floating several inches above the floor. Beast started to tease her about her lofty position, when he realized that he, too, was being held gently off the floor.  
  
"How many items can you control at once?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, look around. I think the only thing bolted down is the electron microscope. Its a very fussy piece of equipment."  
  
"OK." First, microscopes and other table top equipment began to float, then tables, chairs, the autoclave, and everything else in the room, with the exception of Beast's electron microscope, rose majestically into the air and began to circle the room around the three people. Beast watched Star closely and noticed a fine sheen of sweat begin to bead her forehead.  
  
"I think that's enough for today, Star." Slowly, everything returned to its proper place in the lab.  
  
Beast noted her respiration and heartbeat on his chart, then glanced at the temperature reading from the sensor on her skin. Her body temperature had peaked at one hundred and five, but was falling rapidly. In under a minute, it had returned to normal. He disconnected all the sensors, then said,  
  
"Star, would you step onto the scale again, please?" She did as he asked. He checked the weight registered against that he had recorded at the beginning of the session. She had lost several pounds.  
  
"Do you always loose weight like this?" Beast asked her.  
  
"Yes. The Doctor said I was going to have to learn to use an external power source. He set up several different types of power supply, but they always exploded when I tried to use them." She looked down at her hands. "The only thing I've been able to tap so far is people." She looked up and shook her head. "But I don't want to do that. Storm said you wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to." Her voice held a hint of desperation.  
  
"That is correct. You do not have to." Storm told her soothingly. She gave Beast a warning look.  
  
"The thought to volunteer did cross my mind, Storm. But that's all." He cupped Star's chin gently in his large hand. "Were you reading my mind?"  
  
"I can't help it! You're so loud!" Beast looked startled.  
  
"I've been described in a lot of different ways, but this is the first time the word loud was used." Storm laughed.  
  
"You're not mad." Star said in amazement.  
  
"Heavens, no." Beast answered.  
  
"The Doctor was. He was a loud, too."  
  
"Aloud?"  
  
"No, a Loud. Like you. Storm's a Quiet. So is Gambit, but Rogue's kind of a Medium." She smiled. "Jubilee's a Medium, like Rogue. I like to listen to her, but sometimes she confuses me."  
  
"Sometimes, Jubilee confuses herself. It is part of being a teenager." Storm explained.  
  
"As for myself, I shall endeavor to be more quiet in your presence." An image of Beast tip-toeing around a room flashed through her mind. Star laughed. Storm looked puzzled and, without thinking, Star projected the image into her mind. Storm laughed with her. Beast just looked at them both.  
  
"Let's get those sensors off, then I think you should have something to eat." Storm said at last. "I believe that Jubilee has planned an outing for you, if she was able to talk someone into going with you."  
  
"The Mall?" Beast asked.  
  
"I believe so."  
  
"Remind me to make myself scarce until they have gone." Storm smiled at him.  
  
"That's got it, Star. There are sandwich meats in the bottom drawer in the refrigerator. Help yourself." Star left Beast and Storm in the lab, and went toward the kitchen.  
  
"Was that image of you tip-toeing around yours or Star's?" Storm asked Beast as soon as Star was out of the room.  
  
"You saw that? No wonder you were laughing." Beast looked thoughtful. "So, she projects as well. Hmm. Let's check the graphs and see if that registered."  
  
  
Star stood looking at the bewildering array of different foods in the refrigerator, aware of a gnawing emptiness in her stomach. Finally, she chose something at random, closed the refrigerator door and sat down at the table to examine her choice. She puzzled out the packaging and looked doubtfully at the brown substance she found within. Whatever it was had been cut into thick slices. Gingerly, she picked one up and was about to sample it when Jubilee burst in to the kitchen.  
  
"You hungry already? Well come on, we can make some sandwiches and you can eat it on the way. Rogue said she'd take us in to town, and I don't want to give her a chance to change her mind." As she talked, she got the bread out and was quickly slapping together several sandwiches. "Do you want mustard or mayonnaise? Shoot, you don't know, do you. Here try 'em." Star sampled contents of the two jars Jubilee held out to her.  
  
"Both are good."  
  
"OK. One of each. Here, hand me that roast beef." Jubilee finished the sandwiches, putting several into plastic bags and handing one to Star.  
  
"Start on that one while I put this stuff up." A moment later. "OK, ready to go? Whoops, you need your shoes. Some of the places at the Mall are fussy about stuff like that. Go get 'em, then meet me in the front room. See ya!" Jubilee was gone as quickly as she had come. Star stared after her, then took a bite of the sandwich and hurried up the stairs to her room. She was still wearing the blouse and leggings she had put on the day before. She slipped into the skirt and grabbed the boots Jubilee had given her and hurried back down stairs.  
  
"Jubilee, the world is not gonna end if you don't get to the mall the minute it opens." Star heard Rogue saying as she moved down the hall toward the front room. "Now you just chill out, sugah, or we ain't goin'."  
  
"Aw, Rogue. How often do I get to go shopping. Especially for somebody else. I mean, she needs everything!"  
  
"And we won't get it all today, either. Storm said we were to take it easy. Which means, if you'll just think about it, that you get to go back. OK?"  
  
"OK." Jubilee answered, almost reluctantly. "Star!" Jubilee said, seeing Star in the doorway. "Ya ready? Lets go! You can put your shoes on in the car." Rogue shook her head, smiling as she said to Star,  
  
"Well, c'mon, sugah. We'd better catch up to her."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Mall was an enormous building, daunting in its size. Star stared up at it with something approaching horror.  
  
"Come on, Star. Its just a Mall."  
  
"Jubilee, it hasn't been that long since you were afraid to go to the mall." Rogue scolded her. "We'll go in when Star is ready." She turned to Star. "You okay, hon?" Star nodded and the trio walked from the parked car to the building. As they entered the main doors, Star flinched.  
  
"What's the matter, sugah?"  
  
"So many people."  
  
"Jean tol' me to tell you to just bring a curtain across you mind. That way you can block most o' the noise out." After a moment, Star nodded.  
  
"Yes. That is better." She smiled up at Rogue's worried expression. "I'm fine, now."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then let's go."  
  
  
After a couple of hours of what Jubilee called "Serious Shopping", they decided to stop for something to eat. As they finished their 'snack', Rogue stood up.  
  
"Gambit asked me to pick up some cards for him. Why don't you two get some ice cream, and I'll meet you back here in just a few minutes."  
  
"Sure, Rogue." Rogue left their table. "So, what flavor do ya wanna try, Star?" Jubilee asked, slurping the last of her soda.  
  
"Do they have chocolate?"  
  
"You bet! Watch our stuff, I'll be right back." Jubilee hopped up and went over to the Iced Dream Ice Cream shop. Star watched the other shoppers with interest, keeping the 'curtain' tightly closed so she wouldn't be overwhelmed.  
  
"Well, what d'we have here, Mikey?" A young man said as he approached her table. He leaned arrogantly on the chair opposite Star.  
  
"Looks like a Mutie ta me, Stretch." Said a second young man from behind her.  
  
"Yeah," said a third. "And from the looks o' all them bags, she's got more money 'n what's good for her."  
  
"That true, Mutie?" asked Stretch. "Ya got plenty a' money stashed in there somewhere?" Mikey grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. She just stared at him, confused by the strong emotions he virtually radiated. The people at nearby tables were quietly, but quickly, gathering their purchases and moving away.  
  
"What do you want?" Star had no desire to read these men who seemed to hate her just for existing.  
  
"We told ya, Mutie. Give us your money."  
  
"I don't have any money."  
  
"Ya hear that, Stretch? She don't have any money."  
  
"Well, maybe she's got somethin' else ta give us instead." Stretch said, as he sauntered around the table. "What d'ya say, Mutie." He said as he put his arm around her waist and pulled up against his body. "Ya wanna party with me an' my friends?"  
  
"Leave her alone!" Jubilee yelled when she turned away from the ice cream counter and saw what was happening. She dropped the ice cream on the table in front of her and hurried toward Star and the three punks.  
  
"What're you, her keeper?"  
  
"Naw, she's just a Mutie lover. Maybe she wants t' party, too. Grab her, Steve."  
  
Steve tried to grab Jubilee, but she struck him in the chest with one outstretch hand. There was a small thunderclap and Steve fell back with a cry.  
  
Rogue heard the clap as she was leaving the shop where she had purchased Gambit's cards.  
  
"Uh oh." She said as she hurried in the direction she had left Jubilee and Star.  
  
Stretch turned quickly toward Jubilee, but did not release Star.  
  
"Hey, Mikey. She ain't nothin' but another damn Mutie." He reached inside the loose jacket he wore. "Well, we know how to handle them, don't we?" He pulled a handgun out of his jacket and pointed it at Star. "Back off, babe, or there'll be one less mutant in the world." Jubilee froze. "Mikey, get Steve on his feet and let's blow this place." He looked down at Star, standing quietly in his grip, not resisting. "We'll take silver girl, here, with us. For insurance." He laughed unpleasantly. "Maybe we'll still have us that party, boys." Mikey got Steve up and followed Stretch as he pulled Star toward the nearest exit. Jubilee watched, helpless, afraid to follow. They disappeared around a corner in the mall and she was about to start after them when Rogue said, from behind her,  
  
"What's goin' on, gal?"  
  
"Eeep! Rogue! Boy am I glad to see you. Three punks grabbed Star. They went that way! Rogue!" She called after the departing X-Man. "One of 'em's got a gun!" She glared around her at the mall crowd, for the most part just watching passively. A security guard appeared. "Now you show up." She said in disgust. "Watch this stuff. We'll be right back." She followed Rogue around the corner.  
  
  
Stretch pulled Star into a run down the short corridor toward the door. Mikey and Steve hurried after them. A young woman, unaware of what was going on, stepped out of a shop directly in front of them. She held the hand of a little boy, and carried a second child in her arms. Startled, Stretch pointed his handgun at her and pulled the trigger twice. The woman screamed and twisted, trying futilely to protect her children. Star reached out with her mind and deflected the bullets into the ceiling. Stretch yanked her past the woman, and out the door. She pulled her arm free from his grasp and stopped. The door behind her slammed shut just as Mikey and Steve reached it. They hit the door at a dead run, and it didn't budge an inch. Stretch stopped almost as soon as Star, turned back and reached for her again. She stood stock still, her hands fisted at her sides, glaring at him. He looked through the door and saw his friends lying on the floor on the other side. He shakily raised his gun and pointed it at Star with both hands. She didn't move, just stood there looking at him. Suddenly, the gun flew out of his hands, then a giant fist seemed to grip him, lifting him off the ground.  
  
Rogue saw Star through the glass door, and flew quickly down the hall, past the woman who huddled on the floor, thankfully clutching her children. Two of the punks were out cold just inside the door. She pushed, but the door wouldn't open, so she tried to smash it. Nothing. She realized that Star must be holding it. She moved sideways until she could see the punk in front of Star. His feet weren't touching the ground. He was struggling. As she watched, he began to turn blue.  
  
"Star!" She called through the glass. "Star! Listen to me, sugah. Ya gotta let 'im go, honey. C'mon, Star." Her voice grew almost frantic as the punk's struggles grew weaker. "C'mon, baby. Let me out. You can't kill 'im." The door opened and she nearly fell through in her haste. She moved forward carefully, slowly approaching Star and her captive. She put her hand on Star's shoulder. Her body was fiery hot through the thin cloth of her blouse. "Let 'im go, gal."  
  
"Why? He tried to kill that woman and her children. He was going to hurt Jubilee."  
  
"You're right, sugah. But that's what we got cops and judges for. I'll explain how it all works later, but you gotta let go now!" Stretch dropped suddenly to the ground, drew a deep shuddering breath, and began to retch. Jubilee burst through the door behind them and skidded to a halt.  
  
"Looks like I missed all the fun."  
  
"Shut up, Jubilee."  
  
"Well, excuse me!"  
  
Rogue moved in front of Star, who still stood rigidly, with her hands clenched at her side. Her skin was still hot.  
  
"Star. C'mon, honey. Its all over." Star slumped slightly and brought her hands up to her face. Rogue put her arms protectively around her. "C'mon over here, sugah." She drew Star to a bench just to the side of the door, and sat her down on it. "Jubilee, stay with her for a sec, please."  
  
"Sure." Jubilee put her arm around Star. "Boy, you're burnin' up." Rogue moved to the bank of phones on the other side of the door, dropped a coin in one, and called home.  
  
"Hello? Why hello, Chere. You 'member to pick up dem cards fo' me?"  
  
"'Course, Gambit. Listen, I need to talk to the Professor, right now."  
  
"Problems, Chere?"  
  
"You could say that, sugah."  
  
"I get him for you. Hang on."  
  
"What's wrong, Rogue?" The Professor asked a moment later.  
  
"Did ya get that custody order for Star yet, Professor?"  
  
"Beast and Storm decided that she was probably legally of age."  
  
"Well, get 'em to change their minds, and get legal custody, right quick."  
  
"Rogue, what has happened."  
  
"No time now, Professor. The cops just got here, and I gotta go deal with them. Bye, now." She cut the connection.  
  
"Back off, you jerk." Jubilee was saying to the uniformed officer who seemed determined to arrest Star. Star still had her face buried in her hands. Jubilee had both arms around her now, determined to protect her.  
  
"What seems to be the problem, officer?" Rogue asked.  
  
"I've got to take her in, ma'am."  
  
"What on earth for? The child was just attacked by those three goons, and you want to arrest her?"  
  
"Well, they claim she tried to kill them."  
  
"Oh, right. This little slip of a thing tried to kill those three big apes. An' I suppose you're ready to believe them?"  
  
"Not really, but I can't get her to say anything."  
  
"Well, let me tell you what happened, officer. These two girls were gettin' ice cream and mindin' their own business when your three 'victims' decided to have a little fun. When the girls didn't play along, they grabbed 'em. Jubilee got loose, but Star couldn't. One o' these goons had a gun. Those two in there, the one's with the headaches? tried to go out through the 'in' door and got knocked cold. Once he got her through the door, Star did what daddies've been teachin' their little girls to do as long as there have been daddies and little girls, and kicked him where it'd do the most good." Rogue put her hands on her hips and looked the policeman in the eye. "Now, which story sounds more reasonable to you."  
  
"You're right, of course, ma'am." He cleared his throat. "I will need a statement from each of you, when you feel up to it." He looked back at Star and Jubilee. Jubilee glared at him. "You sure they're OK?"  
  
"I'll take 'em to the doctor soon's they've calmed down a bit."  
  
"All right, ma'am." He turned to the other officers, just arriving. "Let's get those three locked up, and let these ladies' get on with their lives." The Security Guard showed up then, loaded with their purchases. Rogue went after the car and the guard loaded their sacks into the trunk while Rogue and Jubilee helped Star into the car.  
  
The trip back to the mansion was made in silence.  
  
  
  
Professor Xavier, Jean Grey and Cyclops met them at the door. Jean and Cyclops hurried down the steps to help with Star.  
  
"She hasn't said anything since we got in the car." Jubilee told them. Jean leaned into the car.  
  
"Star? Can you hear me?" Star sighed, but said nothing.  
  
"Let's go inside, Star." Jean took her hand and helped her from the car. Star cooperated, but made no move to act independently. Jean led her up the stairs to Professor Xavier.  
  
"Star. Child, come back to us. We can not help you if you shut us out." Star turned her head and looked at him.  
  
"Why, Professor?" She asked him quietly. "Why did he hate me?" He glanced at Rogue.  
  
"The girls were attacked by some anti-mutant punks." She told him.  
  
"People are afraid of what they don't understand, Star. Many hate what they are afraid of." He looked up into her pale face. "Come inside, child, and I will try to explain."  
  
  
Star sat quietly on the couch in the study. Professor Xavier moved his chair next to her and took her hand.  
  
"Star, the world is full of ugliness. One of the things we try to do here is to lessen the ugliness." She looked at him, her face expressionless. "I had hoped to protect you longer. I did not believe you would be in danger, or I would not have let any of you go."  
  
"I nearly killed him, Professor." She said suddenly. "If Rogue hadn't stopped me, I would have. I could feel his hate, burning him up inside, and I wanted to crush it."  
  
"Will you let me see what happened?" She just looked at him. "Share your memory with me Star." After a moment she nodded.  
  
He was sitting at a table in the mall, watching Jubilee place an order at a counter. There was a large sign just over her head, but he couldn't read it. The letters were perfectly clear, but they didn't mean anything. A dark presence moved in front of him. It spoke, but the words were unclear. Then there were two more, one on each side and he was being pulled to his feet. The first presence moved very close, pressing against him. Images of his(her) body pinned down, being hurt, passed through the other's mind, very clearly. He(she) was not this dark creature's first victim. It knew exactly what it would do with him(her) when it had him(her) away from this place.  
  
He felt, rather than saw, Jubilee's approach. One of the lesser creatures moved toward her. It was going to hurt her! No! But before he could stop the thing, Jubilee had (knocked it down? He didn't understand.) The creature holding him turned toward Jubilee, and he felt a flash of fear from her. It was holding a (gun?) thing and pointing it at him. The creature was afraid now, too. Afraid of Jubilee? Why?  
  
He felt himself being dragged backwards, away from Jubilee. Then he was running, the creature holding tightly to his arm. The other two were following, but not as fast. One of them was hurt. The creature dragged him around a corner, and he felt Jubilee start to fade as they moved further away. In front of them, he felt a woman with two small children, their presence bright as the sun. There was a surge of hatred from the thing dragging him along. It pointed the (gun?) at them. It made a loud noise and a spinning piece of metal leaped from the end, hurtling toward the smaller child. He reached out with his mind and slapped it away. He began to grow angry. The thing barked again and a second piece of metal leaped toward the trio. He slapped it away also. He was yanked past the cowering family and through a door. Enough! He pulled his arm free, which startled the dark creature. He slammed the door shut behind them as the other two reached it. They hit the door hard, desperate to escape, but he held it closed effortlessly. He felt their pain, felt them fall, but this seemed to only fuel his anger. The first creature pointed the (gun) at him, but it suddenly had no confidence in the weapon. He took it from its nerveless hands, crumpling it into an unrecognizable ball of useless metal. Then he seized the creature with his mind. Hatred had been replaced by fear. This thing was afraid of him! Good. Let it feel what the woman had felt. Let it feel as Jubilee had felt. Slowly, he crushed it, savoring its panic, as it felt itself dying.  
  
He became aware of Rogue's presence behind him. She was frantic, fearful, desperate to reach him before he was ... hurt? He wasn't in any danger, why was she frightened? He released the door and Rogue burst through, rushing towards him.  
  
"Let 'im go, gal." He heard her say.  
  
"Why?" he answered. "He tried to kill that woman and her children. He was going to hurt Jubilee."  
  
"You're right, sugah. But that's what we got cops and judges for. I'll explain how it all works later, but you gotta let go now!" He felt confused, but dropped the thing he held, letting it fall unheeded to the ground. He felt Jubilee approach, felt her fear for him. His anger faded to nothing and suddenly the thing on the ground became a person. Full of pain and terror. He had done this. Once again, he had caused pain. He felt himself slipping away into the darkness. It was safe there. But that caused pain for others as well. There would be no escape. He felt Jubilee's arm around him. Her presence steadied him, but he was not ready to come all the way back. Not yet. Just let him rest here in the shadows for a while. Just rest. He was so tired.  
  
  
Professor Xavier came to himself with a start. Star sat on the couch, watching him impassively, as if waiting for him to pass judgment on her. Which, he supposed, she was.  
  
"You did well to protect the woman and her children, Star. The cre... the man who attacked you deserved the treatment he received." He reached for her hand, and held it in his own. "Rogue was right, however. We must let the law punish your attacker." She didn't move at all, not even a blink. It was disconcerting how still this child could be. "This does not mean you do not have the right to protect yourself, or others around you." He looked at her intently, wishing for some sign that she had understood what he was trying to tell her. "Star?"  
  
"Yes, Professor." Her tone was as flat as her expression.  
  
"I am proud of you, child." he said earnestly. "You could have killed him, but you chose not too. It does not matter that you were influenced by Rogue, the decision was yours. And I believe you made the right one."  
  
"Thank you, Professor." He released her hand, still disturbed by her lack of emotion. He gently probed her mind, but she had closed him out. She needed time to absorb everything that had happened to her in such a short period. He prayed he could grant her all the time she needed.  
She stood to leave, then swayed on her feet. He reached out to steady her and noticed for the first time how gaunt her face was. She appeared thinner than she had earlier, as if it had been days, lean and hungry days, at that, since he had seen her, instead of merely a few hours.  
  
"Star? Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, Professor. Just tired, and a little hungry."  
  
"Well, go get something to eat, then perhaps a nap would do you some good."  
  
"All right." She turned away from him, leaving his study without glancing back. If she had turned, she would have seen the worried look he wore. One of his children was in trouble, hurting, and he didn't know how to help. Again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gambit was waiting for Rogue at the doorway to the living room.  
  
"You okay, Chere? And de petite femmes? Dey all right? What happened?"  
  
"I missed most of it, Remy. Jubilee's shaken up, but I think she'll be fine." She looked over her shoulder toward the Professor's study. "I'm not so sure about Star. That little gal's taken more in the last few days than most folk have to deal with in a lifetime."  
  
"Sound like most of us here, no?"  
  
"Yeah. But it don't make it any easier when it starts all over again."  
  
"No, it don't. Now, you gonna tell me what happen', or you gonna let me go crazy wonderin'?"  
  
"Come gimme a hand with the stuff in the car and I'll fill ya in."  
  
"Got yo'self a deal, Chere." They went back outside to unload the car. Jubilee was there, and had removed about half the packages from the trunk.  
  
"I was beginning to think I was gonna hafta carry all this stuff in by myself."  
  
"Never fear, mon petite. The cavalry done arrive'." Gambit told her. "Dese all go to Star's room?"  
  
"Yup. Two or three more shopping trips, and we should have everything she needs." Jubilee made a face. "If the Professor ever lets us go to the mall again."  
  
"Probably not for a little while, Jubilee." Rogue told her, with a grin for Gambit's horrified expression as he eyed the packages. "But he knows he can't keep us locked up. It just don' work. Here," she handed Jubilee three bags, "Take these up to Star's room an' get 'em put up. Gambit an' I'll bring the rest up in a minute." Jubilee looked at the bags then grinned.  
  
"Yeah, wouldn't want Gambit to get embarrassed by seeing a ladies' unmentionables, right?"  
  
"Right. Now, git." Rogue shooed her inside. Gambit started picking up bags and packages, shaking his head. He never would understand females. Rogue joined him with a smile,  
  
"Now, like I said, I missed most of it, but from what I could figure out...."  
  
  
"Then apparently one of 'em made a grab for Jubilee, and all hell broke loose." Rogue said as she opened the door for Gambit, his arms so loaded with packages that he could barely see over them.  
  
"What's that?" Wolverine interrupted.  
  
"There was ... some trouble at the mall, Wolverine."  
  
"Jubilee okay? Where is she?"  
  
"She's fine, Wolverine. She's in Star's room."  
  
"Yeah, she be puttin' up "unmentionbles". Here, take some o' dis..." Wolverine was gone. "Damn. C'mon, Rogue. I wanna get shut o' some o' dis stuff."  
  
  
"Jubilee." Wolverine said from the doorway.  
  
"Aaak! Jeez! I wish you guys'd quit sneaking up on me!"  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"I am fine!" She slammed the drawer she had just finished filling. She stood for a moment with her back to the door, then said, "No I'm not." She plopped down on the edge of the bed. Wolverine sat next to her, put an arm around her and held her gently.  
  
"Wolvie, I felt so helpless. Everything happened so fast." She gulped. "Rogue said she had ta get some cards and that me an' Star should get some ice cream. I told Star to stay with our stuff, and that I'd be right back. Next thing I know, these two creeps have hold of her, and a third one's coming for me. Oh, Wolverine, I should'a never left her alone! She just stood there, that blank look on her face she gets when she doesn't understand what's going on. Then this jerk's shovin' me, so I shoved him back. He went flying. Then the other one grabbed a gun and shoved it inta Star's ribs. I just knew he was gonna kill her. Then he dragged her off down the mall and I didn't dare follow, long as he could see me. Then Rogue popped up and scared me half to death, and she took off after 'em, and I heard shots, and I expected to find 'em BOTH dead when I got to the corner, only Star was outside, and Rogue couldn't get the door open, and I was...I was...I was really wishin' you were there, 'cause you always know what to do and I didn't!" she gasped, and added, "Then the cops showed up and wanted to blame Star, but Rogue took care a' that. Then we came home." She clung to him for a moment.  
  
"Thanks, Wolverine."  
  
"Anytime, darlin'. Need any help with this stuff?"  
  
"No! I mean, this is girl stuff. I'll take care of it. Why don't you go check on Star."  
  
"Might just." He passed Rogue and Gambit, still loaded with packages, in the hall.  
  
"From dat glazed look in his eye, I t'ink he find Jubilee."  
  
"I think you're right, sugah. Shore 'nuff, here she is. Got all that stuff put away, Jubilee?"  
  
"Not quite. Just put the rest of it on the bed, and I'll sort it out in a minute." Gambit gratefully dumped the packages.  
  
"Hear anything from Star?"  
  
"Not yet, sugah." Rogue told her.  
  
  
Star stumbled as she reached the kitchen. She leaned on the door for a moment. Her arms hurt, and both were beginning to show bruises. Her ribs ached. And she was so tired. She staggered to a chair and nearly fell into it. She pulled her blouse up to examine her side. A large purple bruise was spreading. In the center of the bruise was the clear imprint of the metal thing she had been threatened with. She pulled her blouse back down. She was wondering if she had enough energy left to make it up the stairs to her room when she saw Wolverine glide past the door. She liked him. His mind was strange. Wild. But caring, and oddly gently. She did not try to read him, knowing she had taxed herself too greatly already. Instead, she thought about how far it was to her room. She put her arms on the table, and rested her head on them. "I'll just sit here for a moment," she thought, "then I will do as I have been told. Just for a moment." Her eyes closed.  
  
The door to the study opened just as Wolverine reached it. Professor Xavier drifted out, frowning.  
  
"How's the kid, Professor?"  
  
"Um? Star? She was quite unsettled by the events today. She truly does not understand much of what occurred." He sighed. "She showed me what happened as she saw it. We did not speak for long. How was I to explain the actions of mad men to a child who has no normality to compare them too?" He shook his head. "She accepts everything I tell her without question. It is tempting to say 'Don't worry. Father will fix it.' But we both know that, quite often 'Father' can't 'fix it'."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"I sent her to get something to eat, and told her to rest." He paused. "Didn't you come past the kitchen?"  
  
"Yeah. But that kid can sit so still, you don't see 'er. She ain't got much of a scent, either." He turned toward the kitchen. "I'll go see if she's there. Told Jubilee I'd check on her."  
  
"How is Jubilee doing?"  
  
"She'll be okay." Wolverine chuckled. "She's more scared that you won't let 'er go shoppin' again, than anything else."  
  
"I will never understand teenagers."  
  
"That makes two of us, Chuck." Wolverine said over his shoulder as he made his way toward the kitchen, his footsteps nearly silent. He looked in and there she was, absolutely motionless. She was apparently asleep, with her head on her arms. He went into the room, intending to wake her gently and send her to bed. He frowned when he saw the darkening bruises on her arms. Anybody that'd hurt a little thing like her or Jubilee, deserved whatever rough treatment they got. And then some.  
  
He crouched beside her chair, trying not to frighten her when she woke.  
  
"Hey, kid." He said quietly. "The kitchen's no place to sleep." She didn't respond. "Star? C'mon, darlin'. Wake up fer yer pal." He touched her arm, then stood up abruptly. She was ice cold. He quickly checked her throat for a pulse and was relieved to find one, slow but steady. He hurried to the door. Professor Xavier was visible at the far end, speaking with someone just out of sight.  
  
"Chuck." he called. Xavier turned toward him.  
  
"What is it, Wolverine?"  
  
"Its Star. You better come check." He moved back to Star's side. Xavier joined him a moment later.  
  
"I couldn't wake 'er up." Wolverine explained, "An' she's cold." Xavier place his hand on Star's forehead, shocked by the temperature of her skin despite what Wolverine had told him. He probed her mind. What he found was almost amusing.  
  
"She's asleep."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She's so deeply asleep, it almost borders on hibernation, but it is still just sleep." Wolverine looked at Star. Then, with his arms crossed, he shook his head.  
  
"Kid, you sure do give an old man grief." He bent to lift her from the chair, intending to put her to bed, where she belonged. When he put his arm around her she flinched, moaning. He had, unknowingly, caught the bruise on her ribs. She opened her eyes for a moment and looked up at him.  
  
"Wolverine," she whispered, then her eyes closed once more. He stood, cradling her slight form in his arms.  
  
"Storm was just telling me that the child's powers draw heavily on her physical reserves."  
  
"And she ain't got no reserves."  
  
"Precisely. On a normal day, she probably requires more calories than you do. And today was decidedly not a normal day." Xavier reached up and stroked Star's cheek tenderly. "Put her to bed, Wolverine. Take some fruit up and put it by her bed. When she awakens, she will be ravenous."  
  
He carried her up the stairs effortlessly, she didn't seem to weigh anything.  
  
  
When Wolverine reached Star's room, Rogue and Jubilee were sorting packages, Gambit having made good his escape as soon as he was able. Jubilee turned toward him as he intentionally bumped the doorframe.  
  
"Wolvie, what...?" Jubilee exclaimed at the sight of Star, lying unmoving in Wolverine's arms.  
  
"'S okay, Jube. Kid's just beat." He jerked his head toward the bed. "Ya wanna clear that off so's I can put her down? Not that she weighs nothing, but the bed's gotta be more comfortable than this." Jubilee and Rogue quickly cleared off the bed and Wolverine gently laid Star on it. Jubilee pulled her boots off and put them in the closet.  
  
"Rogue, check out her right side. She was actin' like it hurt her."  
  
"No wonder," Rogue told him a moment later. "She's got a real nasty bruise here. I don't think her ribs are cracked, though. It'll be sore as the devil for a while. She's so cold." Rogue spread the comforter over Star. "Poor little thing. She could really use a change o' luck."  
  
"Jube, would ya fetch that bowl a' fruit from the kitchen? Chuck said she'll be starvin' when she wakes up."  
  
"Sure thing, Wolvie." Jubilee scooted out the door and started down the hall. "Jubilee!" Wolverine called after her.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Leave 'er lights on, okay darlin'?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Did ya get that custody order for Star, Professor?" Rogue asked later.  
  
"Yes. Beast said Star could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-three, so I went with the low end and called her seventeen. Do you still think it will be necessary?"  
  
"You kiddin'? They was tryin' to arrest her right then. I talked 'em out of it, but I doubt we've heard the last o' them punks." She snorted. "Kids like them, their parents've got more money than sense. They'll prob'ly file assault charges on her 'fore we're done."  
  
"No doubt you are correct."  
  
"What's the name on the order?"  
  
"Emily Deidre Star."  
  
"Emily?"  
  
"You rushed me, Rogue. It was the only thing I could think of."  
  
"Okay." Rogue grinned at him. "So, who's Emily?"  
  
"A childhood friend, Rogue." He answered, refusing to be baited.  
  
"I was just wonderin'." Rogue told him sweetly.  
  
  
  



	4. The Tests and the Trial

Star woke late the next day, aware of very little save the emptiness of her stomach. She saw the bowl of fruit that Jubilee had left for her, and eagerly seized an apple. She had watched Gambit slice and eat one the morning before. She didn't have a knife, so she took a hesitant bite. The sweet juice of the fruit ran down her throat, easing her thirst but seeming to only sharpen her hunger. She quickly finished the apple leaving, as she had seen Gambit, the center section with the seeds. There were other fruits in the bowl, but she wasn't sure how they were eaten. She chose a round, orange colored fruit and took a bite. It was very bitter so she put it down. She picked up a long, yellow fruit and tried a bite of it. The skin was tough, but when it split, the meat was soft and tasty. She discarded the skin and ate the center part. There didn't seem to be any seeds in this one. She looked at the orange one again. Maybe its skin came off, too. It did.  
  
After another apple, her hunger pains began to ease. Her hands and face were sticky with the fruit juice, and the blouse she had worn for three days was crumpled and spotted. She pulled the blouse off over her head, then skinned the leggings and skirt off as well. She stepped into the bathroom. The shower controls were familiar enough, so she started a shower. She was surprised by the temperature of the water, however. She had never had access to heated water before, and it was wonderful! She picked up the bar of soap and sniffed it curiously. It had an odd, but pleasant, aroma. She began to soap her hair with it. She stayed in the water a long time, enjoying the way the warm water seemed to loosen her muscles. By the time she was finished, she was hungry again.  
  
As she dried her hair on the towel she had found in the bathroom, she carefully peeled another of the yellow fruits. She looked through the drawers Jubilee had filled the day before, and selected undergarments. Jubilee and Rogue had explained what they were for while they were at the mall. Real people certainly placed a lot of emphasis on their clothing, Star reflected. She'd never worn anything but the white skintight she'd had on when they brought her to this place. After all, it had all the necessary sensors woven right into the fabric. She shrugged and pulled the clothing on. She opened several of the bags she found at the foot of the bed and chose a pair of blue shorts and a bright red blouse. She pulled these on as well, remembering how Jubilee had reacted when she had stepped from the 'dressing room' while wearing just the undergarments. Such body modesty had not been promoted among the Doctor's specimens. She would have to keep it firmly in mind to avoid offending them. She combed her hair in front of a large mirror, then, leaving the comb on the dresser, she went in search of the other people she could hear throughout the large house.  
  
  
She spied Jubilee in the living room, but she appeared to be busy as she alternately looked in a large book, then scribbled frantically on a pad of paper. She was frowning in concentration. Star quietly went on her way. She paused at the door of Professor Xavier's study, but did not hear him within. Finally, she stopped at the laboratory. That room still made her shiver, but she could sense Storm and Beast. They had just completed a series of tests and were discussing the results. She timidly knocked on the door, as she had seen Jubilee do upon her own door.  
  
"Come in." she heard Beast say, so she opened the door and entered.  
  
"Hello, Star. Are you well rested?" Storm asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Really, child," Beast said kindly. "You must not overextend yourself. Do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it." He smiled and gestured around him. "After all, we are a family here." She smiled in return.  
  
"Professor Xavier would like us to begin tutoring you as soon as you feel well enough." Storm told her. "Does that suit you?"  
  
"Yes. I would like that."  
  
"When would you like to begin?"  
  
"Now." Star answered simply. Beast and Storm exchanged an amused glance.  
  
"My, my." Beast murmured. "An enthusiastic pupil." He stood up and removed his lab coat. "Come, child," he said. "We shall begin."  
  
Several hours later, Beast begged for a break. He left Star sitting on a couch, surrounded by books, both textbooks and works of fiction. It had been necessary to explain the difference. He walked outside, stretching muscles tense from bending over the books.  
  
"How's the kid?" Wolverine asked from a lounge chair on the deck.  
  
"Star?" Beast snorted. "The child is a sponge. Three hours ago, I began by teaching her the alphabet. Now, she reads at the college level. We shall begin mathematics next." He pulled out another chair, and gingerly lowered himself into it, even though great care was taken to insure that all the furniture in the mansion was sturdy enough to take his weight. He sighed. "At the rate she is going through the books in the Library, by next week, there will be little left that I can teach her."  
  
"Beast?" Both men turned quickly at the sound of Star's voice.  
  
"Yes, dear?" Beast asked, covering his surprise.  
  
"I can't read this one." She held out a copy of 'Dr. Zhivago.'  
  
"Its in Russian, child."  
  
"Russian?"  
  
"It is a different language than English, which is what you have been reading."  
  
"There are two languages?"  
  
"No, child. There many, many more than two."  
  
"Will you teach me?"  
  
"I will teach you as many as I am able." She opened her mouth to say something, but Beast interrupted her.  
  
"Not tonight. Put those books away and get something to eat. You are beginning to look pale."  
  
"Yes, Beast." Star turned and went back into the mansion.  
  
"Hank."  
  
"Yes, Wolverine?"  
  
"We gotta put a bell on that kid."  
  
"You didn't hear her approach either, I take it."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Beast thought Wolverine was speaking metaphorically until he saw the delicate bracelet of tiny silver bells which Star began wearing several days later. His laughter brought several bemused looks from the other X-Men, and a knowing smile from Wolverine.  
  
  
Star learned quickly. She was willing to learn from anyone who was willing, or had time, to teach her. By the end of the week, she was helping Jubilee with her Algebra homework, a subject which Beast had begun to despair of ever getting across. Star had the ability to see exactly what part of the equation Jubilee was having problems with, and to explain it so she could understand. Jubilee was trying to teach Star to be a teenager. This seemed to be one subject Star was having difficulties with.  
  
"I don't understand." Star said to Storm in the lab.  
  
"What don't you understand, Star?"  
  
"Jubilee. Sometimes she's happy, and the next minute she's mad about something. She gets mad at me and I can't figure out why."  
  
"It is just part of growing up. She is a teenager, and sometimes a teenager's body chemistry gets a little off balance. Just be patient."  
  
"OK."  
  
"Are you ready for the next series of tests?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
When they had completed the day's testing, and Star had joined Jubilee in the living room, Storm turned to Beast.  
  
"Star was asking about Jubilee's mood swings today."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. I explained to her that sometimes a teenager is moody because of their changing body chemistry."  
  
"And?" Beast prompted.  
  
"And, I started thinking that Star was acting more like a tractable eight year old than a volatile teen." Storm paused and Beast waited.  
  
"I think we should check the hormone levels in her last few blood samples."  
  
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"  
  
"What is it, Henry?"  
  
"You were right. Star's hormone levels are abnormally low. Physically, she is an adult, but she has the hormones of a prepubescent female. And look here," he swiveled the eyepiece of his microscope toward Storm. She looked through at the blood sample.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"It appears to be an artificial compound designed to inhibit the production of her natural hormones." He reached forward and changed slides. "Now look at this one." Storm obliged.  
  
"There are not as many inhibitors." She looked up at him. "Which is the later sample?"  
  
"The one you have now."  
  
"Then her body is throwing off the inhibitors."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Which means..."  
  
"We are about to have another teenager on our hands. One which was sufficiently, shall we say, troublesome, that her Doctor saw fit to sully his experiment with drugs."  
  
"We should speak with the Professor."  
  
"I quite agree."  
  
  
  
  
"How long?" Xavier asked.  
  
"If the rate of decline remains the same, as it has so far, her body should start producing hormones in about a week."  
  
"Of course." He sighed. "Just once, I would like to have a happy, healthy, well adjusted Mutant, walk up to the door and say 'Hello, Professor Xavier. I'd like to join the X-Men. Do you mind?'"  
  
"Professor, happy, healthy, well adjust Mutants generally don't need our help."  
  
"I know. Its just a fantasy I allow myself once in a while. Do you have any recommendations for Star?"  
  
"Not really. If she had less control over her telekinesis I would suggest preparing the mansion for a poltergeist. As it is, I don't really know what to expect."  
  
"So we should just cross our fingers and hope for the best."  
  
"That's about it."  
  
"She's scheduled to testify against her attackers next week."  
  
"I know, Professor."  
  
"Lord help us."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Wolvie. Please?" Jubilee accosted Wolverine in the hall near the Danger Room.  
  
"Jubilee..."  
  
"Its been ages since I've been in the Danger Room. Nobody else ever seems to have time. I've been doing a lot better in math since Star's been helping me. Hey! She's never been in at all! You could take us both in, and I promise I won't bother you again for at least a week!"  
  
"All right, Jubilee." He held up one hand and she turned to find Star. "If you can clear it with the Professor."  
  
"Aw, Wolverine!"  
  
"Those are my terms, darlin'."  
  
"Oh, all right. I'll go ask him."  
  
A few minutes later, he heard his name called on the intercom.  
  
"Yeah, Chuck?"  
  
"Do you feel comfortable taking both children into the Danger Room?"  
  
"No problem. I've already set the controls to hologram."  
  
"Well, then. Good luck." He could hear Jubilee shouting for Star as the Professor turned off his intercom. He wondered what he was getting himself into.  
  
  
Jubilee was waiting impatiently at the door to the Danger Room when Wolverine returned from the Control Room. Star stood, immobile. Beside her. Jubilee wore her standard "DR outfit", as she called it, long yellow coat over street clothes, with her sunglasses propped on the top of her head. She was chewing bubble gum. Star was in shorts and a T-shirt. She was barefoot, as she always was except when someone invited her to go into town (but not the Mall). Wolverine turned to them.  
  
"You kids ready?"  
  
"Sure!" Jubilee answered quickly.  
  
"Star?"  
  
"I'm not certain I understand."  
  
"C'mon, Star! I told you. If I know Wolvie, he's got it set on hologram, right?" Wolverine nodded. "Then its just like a big video game, only you get to go inside the machine to play."  
  
"All right."  
  
Wolverine opened the door and gestured for the girls to precede him into the Danger Room. They entered at a back street. It was late evening, everything was quiet. Jubilee was looking around, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Wolverine closed the door behind them and it became the wall to a building. Star looked puzzled.  
  
"C'mon." Jubilee whispered to Star and they followed Wolverine as he moved carefully down the street. At the far end of the street, a Sentinel appeared.  
  
"Wolvie, you know I hate Sentinels!"  
  
"Practice makes perfect, Jubilee." He answered gruffly as he ducked into the cover provided by a doorway. Jubilee quickly followed him, but Star stayed where she was.  
  
"That's one o' the bad guys, kid." Wolverine growled.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Freeze program." Wolverine stepped out of the doorway and pointed to the now motionless Sentinel. "That."  
  
"I don't see anything." Wolverine looked at her for a moment.  
  
"What do you see? All around us."  
  
"A large room, with equipment on the walls. It looks like there are doors on every surface." She looked at him. "Is that right? Is it still a door if its in the ceiling or floor?"  
  
"Yeah, kid. Its still a door. But that's all you see? A big empty room?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh, boy. Hang on a minute, Jubilee. Star, stay here." He moved back to the wall they had entered through and touched an invisible control.  
  
"Professor."  
  
"Yes, Wolverine?" the Professor answered a moment later.  
  
"I've got a problem in the Danger Room. Seems Star can't see holograms."  
  
"Interesting. Star does need to begin her training, however. How would you feel about taking them up against some low level robots?"  
  
"I can't be in two places at once, and I'd need somebody in the Control room. Its on auto pilot now."  
  
"I will see if anyone is available."  
  
"Right." He turned to look at the young Mutants waiting for him. Jubilee was tapping her foot and noisily popping her gum. Star stood motionless, watching him.  
  
"Cancel program."  
  
"Hey!" Jubilee protested.  
  
"Cool yer jets darlin'. Just gotta reset the equipment. C'mon, ever'body out." He opened the door and ushered them out.  
  
"Jubilee?" Star said as they waited.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What is the object of the game?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You said the Danger Room was like a video game. What is the object?"  
  
"De object, mes Cheres, is to stay alive." Gambit said as he joined them. "An' to keep you teammates alive too, no?"  
  
"Try ta remember that this time, Cajun."  
  
"You wound me, mon amie. I ever let you down?"  
  
"Not me I'm worried about."  
  
"Wolverine, you not de only one lookin' out for les petites. I do my job, you jus' do yours."  
  
"Right." Wolverine pressed the button on the intercom. "You guys set up yet?"  
  
"Just about, sugah. You just hold your horses for 'bout 'nother minute, then we'll be ready to go."  
  
"Thanks, Rogue."  
  
"This is a training room?" Star asked.  
  
"Yeah, kid. Its a training room."  
  
"Will there be non-combatants?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Will there be non-combatants?" The door opened invitingly.  
  
"Probably not this time." Wolverine glanced at Gambit, who shrugged, and stepped into the Danger Room. Star followed.  
  
"Wolvie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Sounds like, maybe she's done this before."  
  
"Sounds like. Let's go see how much she knows."  
  
  
"Okay, Rogue, they're in." Cyclops told her. Rogue grinned and started the computerized combat sequence. Professor Xavier and Jean Grey watched silently.  
  
  
Wolverine and Jubilee followed Gambit and Star as they made their way through the dark streets. A Sentinel came into view.  
  
"Aw, jeez!" Jubilee muttered. "I hate those things."  
  
"Quiet, Jubilee. Let's get around behind it." They circled the building while Gambit and Star continued moving to the left, on an intercept course with the Sentinel. The giant robot moved deceptively slowly. All three X-Men knew of its stunning speed. Suddenly, it spied Gambit. It turned and fired in one motion, but Gambit was faster. He dove out of the path of the energy bolt, dragging Star with him. He rolled to his feet and hurled charged playing cards at the robot, damaging its left leg. Wolverine leaped at the robot from behind, slashing the damaged limb with his adamantium claws. Jubilee extended her hands before her, launching a strike of her own. Star got to her feet behind Gambit. The Sentinel fired a second bolt at Gambit, who had turned to check on her. He didn't see it coming. Her face set in a mask of concentration, Star gestured and the bolt was deflected into the building beside them. The blast knocked them from their feet. Gambit was stunned, unconscious and lying in the street before the robot.  
  
"Rogue! What setting are those bolts on?"  
  
"Not that high, Cyclops. It shouldn't have made that big an explosion!"  
  
The Sentinel stepped forward as Wolverine and Jubilee renewed their attack. The damaged leg crumpled under its weight and the robot fell...toward Gambit. Suddenly, Star was kneeling beside him, one hand on his back, the other held before her in a warding off gesture. The robot's fall slowed, then stopped, scant meters over their heads. The Sentinel turned its attention to the two small figures just beneath it, turning its weapon slowly toward them. Wolverine slashed through the armor of the arm, trying to damage the weapon beyond use. Jubilee attacked the optical sensors, blinding the robot. Still held from the ground by Star, blinded by Jubilee, and disarmed by Wolverine, the Sentinel began to thrash about with its undamaged limbs, trying to smash its human targets.  
  
Wolverine dodged under the Sentinel to Gambit's side. The Cajun hadn't moved. Star stared at the Sentinel, her arm held stiffly before her. She stood as Wolverine hoisted the taller man onto his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jubilee, safely out of range of the flailing juggernaut, watching them. Suddenly, she leaped forward, shouting.  
  
"Hey, you overgrown erector set! I'm over here!" While it had been blinded, there was nothing wrong with the Sentinel's auditory circuits. It turned its head toward Jubilee, and aimed a smashing fist at her. She scampered back out the way. Just barely. Seizing the opportunity she had made for them, Wolverine darted to safety, calling for Star to follow.  
  
"C'mon, kid!"  
  
"Can't." She answered, and the body of the robot dropped several meters. "I'm busy." The Sentinel turned its attention back to the human directly under its massive chest. Jubilee rushed forward, blasting the elbow of the remaining arm and distracting the robot. It swatted her, knocking her away.  
  
"No!" shouted Star, throwing out her free hand toward Jubilee. Jubilee landed gently on her feet, instead of with bone crushing force. The robot settled again, Star's hand actually touching it. She was trembling with the strain.  
  
Wolverine lowered Gambit to the ground a safe distance from the Sentinel. He groaned and sat up, one hand to his head.  
  
"You all right, Cajun?"  
  
"You get de license o' dat truck, mon amie? Where de little femme I supposed to be takin' care of?"  
  
"She's 'busy'. Takin' care o' you. The two of 'em are takin' apart a Sentinel. Let's go help."  
  
"You t'ink dey need our help?"  
  
"No. But I ain't ready ta be a foundin' member of the Retired X-Men's Home, so I ain't about to let them find out."  
  
"Good point." Wolverine bounded back toward the Sentinel. Gambit followed somewhat more slowly, wincing from the burn on his back where Star's hand had rested.  
  
In the Control Room, several sighs of relief were heard, and a silent prayer of thanks was offered by one, as Gambit got to his feet.  
  
Jubilee ran to the legs of the robot and scrambled up on them. From there she hopped to its back. With both arms damaged it could not reach her there, though it continued to thrash, trying both to throw her off and to crush Star. Balancing carefully, she moved up its back to the area that she knew housed its central processing unit. Suddenly, Wolverine was beside her. He used his adamantium claws to rip through the armor, exposing the circuitry for Jubilee. She grinned at him and blasted the unit.  
  
The dead weight of the deactivated Sentinel drove Star to her knees. Gambit dove beneath the still descending robot and, encircling Star with his arms, rolled clear. The Sentinel dropped to the ground with a bone jarring crash. Gambit released Star hastily.  
  
"Chere, you skin be on fire." Star turned to look at him, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. She sat down suddenly.  
  
"Chere?" She blinked up at him. "You okay?" Wolverine helped Jubilee down from the back of the Sentinel. She was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Exercise complete." Rogue's voice sounded through the Danger Room. "You all okay?"  
  
"That was great!" Jubilee said, her voice full of enthusiasm. "Can we do it again?" Gambit gave her a look which seemed to say 'Not in this lifetime.', then he offered Star a hand up. She looked dazed.  
  
"You coolin' off fast, Chere. You gonna be all right?"  
  
"Yes. I'm just..."  
  
"You are just" interrupted Xavier's voice, "going to get yourself down to the kitchen right now. Beast has concocted a high energy compound he wants you to try."  
  
"Yes, Professor." She turned toward the entrance door, a little more steady on her feet. Wolverine followed her.  
  
"Gambit."  
  
"Yeah, Prof.?"  
  
"I want Henry to take a look at you."  
  
"I feel fine."  
  
"You won't if you don't stop 'n see Hank." Rogue said from behind him. "An' I'm here ta see to it that ya do."  
  
"Chere, for a moment on your arm, I'd drop in on Ol' Nick hisownself." He took her arm and together they walked from the remains of the Danger Room.  
  
"Jubilee."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You did very well, dear. I am proud of you."  
  
"Thanks. Ya know, they don't look so big, once you've trashed 'em." She walked around the robot, looking closely at the object of so many nightmares. She kicked the shoulder of the motionless Sentinel and it began to rise.  
  
"Aaak!" She shouted as she scrambled away from it.  
  
"Jubilee? I'm sorry, I thought everyone had left the Danger Room," came Jean's voice over the speakers. "I was just going to put it back together for next time."  
  
"Yeah, well," Jubilee answered shakily. "I was just leaving." She scrambled for the still open door.  
  
  
"Scott, what caused the back blast that injured Gambit?" Jean asked as she set the controls to rebuild the damaged Sentinel.  
  
"I don't know. I double checked the setting and it was definitely calibrated too low to have caused that much damage."  
  
"I think, perhaps, it was Star." Professor Xavier put in. "I was watching her closely, and she reacted to the Sentinel as if it were a fully powered unit. Her deflection actually accelerated the energy bolt, causing a larger explosion than the equipment was set up to cope with."  
  
"Sounds like you think she's been up against Sentinels before."  
  
"She has spoken of previous training. I made the mistake of assuming that combat training was not included."  
  
  
Beast greeted Star at the door of the kitchen with a large glass of a murky brown liquid.  
  
"Sit down and drink that," he told her. "There's more in the blender over there. I want you to drink it all. The Professor apprised me of the, shall we say, activity level you have been maintaining. This should help you avoid the worst after effects." He looked at her for a moment, then turned to Wolverine. "I leave her in your care, my friend. I understand I have another patient to attend to."  
  
"Drink up, kid." Wolverine said as he pulled a chair out and, turning it around, sat down in it, his arms resting on the back of the chair. She took a swallow.  
  
"It tastes like chocolate."  
  
"It sure don't smell like chocolate." She smiled at him and took another drink.  
  
"Why wasn't the Sentinel at full power?" she asked suddenly.  
  
"Everything was set at low power for you and Jubilee."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We don't want you kids gettin' hurt." Star looked thoughtful as she finished the mixture in her glass.  
  
"So the Danger Room is just a...a big video game?"  
  
"No. It has settings all the way up to lethal. Its no game."  
  
"You train there?"  
  
"Yeah." She got up and refilled her glass from the blender Beast had left for her. She shivered.  
  
"You okay, kid?"  
  
"Yes. I am often cold after training."  
  
"Why don't ya go change clothes?" She looked down at herself, puzzled.  
  
"These are not appropriate? Jubilee told me she often wears things like this."  
  
"Clothes are for protection, kid. Not just decoration. If you're cold, go put on some long pants an' a sweater, or somethin'."  
  
"All right."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
###When it was time for Star and Jubilee to testify against the three punks, Professor Xavier, Rogue, Star, Jubilee, and Wolverine piled into a large van with the logo "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" emblazoned on the door, and drove to the courthouse. Professor Xavier had explained to both young women that they were to remain calm and to answer any questions put to them completely and honestly. Jubilee considered the whole thing to be an exciting adventure and had spent considerable time choosing a wardrobe for both herself and Star, only to be overruled by Jean. Consequently, she was sulking. She was startled out of her funk when Star suddenly turned to her and said,  
  
"Jubilee, will you please shut up!" Jubilee stared at her, her mouth hanging open.  
  
"But I didn't say anything!"  
  
"You have been mumbling constantly for the last half hour and I have grown tired of listening to you complain." Jubilee turned to Wolverine for support. He could only shrug.  
  
"Star, child," Professor Xavier's voice spoke quietly in her mind.  
  
"I am not a child, Professor, and I wish you would stop referring to me in that fashion."  
  
"You are correct, Star, and I apologize." Xavier continued, "However, Jubilee was not verbalizing. You need to strengthen your shields the way Jean has taught you," he paused. "And you might consider apologizing to Jubilee."  
  
"Of course, Professor. I don't know what is the matter with me. I feel ... strange."  
  
"It will pass, dear." I hope, he added to himself. He sensed her bolstering her shields before she turned to Jubilee.  
  
"Jubilee? I'm sorry. I guess I'm just scared about all this."  
  
"S'okay." The two young mutants sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, then Star said,  
  
"Jubilee? Beast gave me a portable chess set. Do you want to play a game? I promise not to cheat."  
  
"Sure." Wolverine watched as Star set up the game, letting Jubilee choose her pawn. He continued to watch them as they played. Jubilee with youthful enthusiasm and Star with a cool efficiency which was almost frightening to watch. As they pulled into the underground garage at the courthouse, Jubilee made a final move and said,  
  
"There! Checkmate!" Star smiled at her.  
  
"That was fun. Shall we play again on the way home?"  
  
"Yeah, if its not dark by then." They put the game away as Rogue parked the van.  
  
"Jubilee, are you ready?"  
  
"'Course, Professor."  
  
"Star?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Keep your shields tight."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
  
They reached the courtroom precisely on time and were told to wait in an anteroom until the girls were called. As their guardian, Professor Xavier would accompany each into the courtroom when they were called upon. Star was called first. When she and Professor Xavier entered the courtroom they were greeted by an almost palpable wave of hatred. Star staggered back a step and Xavier steadied her.  
  
"Easy, Star. Remember your shields."  
  
"Yes, Professor." She straightened her shoulders and took the witness stand as directed. The Prosecutor quickly questioned her. Her answers painted a clear picture of the attack as it had occurred. Then the attorney for the defense rose.  
  
"Miss Star, is it true that you are a Mutant?"  
  
"Objection, your honor," the Prosecutor stood. "This has no bearing on the case at hand."  
  
"Your honor, if you will allow me to continue, I will show that this question does, indeed, have bearing in this case."  
  
"Very well. Objection overruled. Answer the question Miss Star."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is it not also true that you are a telepath?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"A telepath capable of controlling the minds of others?"  
  
"Your honor, I must object to this entire line of questioning."  
  
"Objection sustained. Councilor, if you please."  
  
"Yes, your honor. Miss Star, you have stated that nothing you did provoked the alleged attack, is that correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Nothing at all."  
  
"No."  
  
"Not even, perhaps, a casual probe of the minds of the young men in question?"  
  
"Your honor!"  
  
"Councilor, consider yourself warned. If you continue this line of questioning, I will find you in contempt."  
  
"No further questions, your honor."  
  
"The witness may step down." A bailiff stepped forward to escort Star from the courtroom, and Jubilee was called as the next witness. The bailiff turned toward a different door than the one through which they had entered. They intended to keep the witnesses separate.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Its all right, dear. I will send Wolverine to join you." Star followed the bailiff through the door to another small room with several chairs spaced around the walls. She tried to block the thoughts of those gathered to support her attackers, without much success. Her shields were not holding.  
  
"Filthy Mutant," burst upon her as the bailiff closed the door behind her. "How can they allow a thing like that to actually testify in court? Why, its not even human!" She fought to close the hateful voice out.  
  
"Mutants like that ought to be drowned at birth," came another, different, voice. "My boy would never have done anything like this on his own. She was asking for it. Imagine, she had the nerve to parade around among normal people, like she owned the place."  
  
"That ought to take care of her credibility. No jury in the world is going to convict a normal boy of attacking a mutant, who may, just may, have been controlling him. I don't even have to prove anything. It only requires 'a shadow of a doubt' after all."  
  
Other voices crowded into her mind, overlapping, unintelligible, hateful, angry. She was trembling violently, the silver bracelet jangling on her wrist, when she heard Wolverine's voice.  
  
"I don't care if it is a restricted access area, bub, a friend a' mine's in there and I ain't about ta leave her by herself." She could hear the menace in his quiet tones, and could feel that the guard could hear it as well. The door opened and Wolverine stepped in. He closed the door behind him and looked at her. She was as white as a sheet and shaking so badly that he could hear her teeth chattering even over the jangle of the bracelet. He gathered her into his powerful arms, holding her close. Her trembling eased as she sensed his determination to protect her. She leaned on him as she struggled to rebuild her faltering shields. As she closed the hateful voices out, she became aware of his heart beating strongly in his chest, the strength in his arms, the warmth of his body close to hers. When she finally stopped trembling, Wolverine released her. She moved away from him reluctantly and he guided her to a chair.  
  
The outer door opened and a bailiff, with two police officers, entered, their hands on their weapons. Wolverine turned toward them, his head lowered dangerously, his hand fisted at his sides.  
  
"You folks got a problem?" he asked them.  
  
"This is a restricted area, mister. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."  
  
"Like I told yer friend there," Wolverine said. "I'm here ta take care o' the kid."  
  
"That's part of our job."  
  
"Yeah. An' yer doin' it real well, too," Wolverine snarled. "If I'd been here ta hurt her, I'd a done it an' been long gone 'fore you showed up." As the tension mounted, Star began to shake again, her bracelet jangling as she raised her hands to her head.  
  
Startled by the sudden metallic sound, the young bailiff snatched his weapon from the holster and pointed it at Star. Moving with speed allowed only by inborn grace augmented by years of training, Wolverine stepped forward, past the closer police officer, and disarmed the bailiff. The gun clattered to the floor as Wolverine lifted the startled man by his shirtfront and slammed him into the wall.  
  
"Didn't your daddy ever tell you not ta play with guns?" His claws glinted in the glare of the fluorescent lights.  
  
"Put him down, mister. Nice and slow." Both officers had their weapons trained on Wolverine.  
  
"Please." Star whispered. "Don't." She stood behind them, her body rigid, her eyes closed. The bailiff had eyes for nothing but Wolverine's claws. Wolverine and the second police officer turned to Star while the first officer didn't take her eyes off Wolverine.  
  
"Please! Stop it!" Star cried, her voice ragged.  
  
"Uh oh," Wolverine muttered under his breath as he retracted his claws with a sharp snick. The first officer spared Star the briefest of glances then said,  
  
"Get her out of here, Terry." The officer turned further, lowering his weapon, and reached for Star.  
  
"No!" Wolverine shouted instinctively. "Don't touch her!" He dropped the bailiff and lunged for the second officer. The first officer fired her weapon, the muzzle less than two feet from Wolverine's chest, just as the second officer grabbed Star's wrist. The officer shouted in surprised pain, tearing the silver bracelet from her arm as he snatched his hand away. Star shrieked. The bullet exploded before it could strike Wolverine, covering everything in the room with a fine metallic powder.  
  
The physical contact with the police officer had been the final blow. Star's brittle shields shattered. The thoughts and emotions of every man, woman, and child in the entire city smashed in on her. She shrieked again, an agonized sound. Her eyes flew open. They blazed, white light literally pouring from her sockets. Her skin began to glow. The bailiff collapsed, then the two police officers sank to the floor. A wave of exhaustion swept through Wolverine and he fell to his knees.  
  
"Star!" he said through gritted teeth. "Stop it, Star!" Her gaze fell across him, burning his skin. He cried out and she snapped her eyes away from him, looking upward.  
  
"Away from here," he heard her say. "Too much." The ceiling of the room exploded outward, then the ceiling of the room above, allowing bright sunlight to flow in. She rose swiftly through the hole she had smashed in the building, her body glowing brighter by the moment, her clothing beginning to smolder. Wolverine blacked out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Lost and Found

Star wept as she rose ever further into the sky. She had been overwhelmed by the thoughts and emotions of the thousands of people surrounding her and she had instinctively reached out to those people for the power she needed to block them out. But it was a vicious spiral. The further she reached, the more minds impinged upon her and the more power she needed. The closer they were, the more energy, life force, she stole from them. So she removed herself.  
  
This had happened before, only she had not been strong enough to escape the cage. Instead, she had killed them, bleeding them of their life force relentlessly, unable to stop. The Doctor had been perversely pleased. It had been necessary to replace the dozen or so lab techs and guards she had killed, but what did that matter, he thought, his experiment was going so well. Star cried bitterly as she remembered. She had listened to the Doctor's thoughts, utterly unable to block him. She was the first of his creations to survive the virtual metamorphosis from child to adult.  
  
"A pity, really," he'd said to the new lab tech at his side. "Unless we perfect that psi-dampener I'll never be able to breed them." He looked at her, watching him. "Ah, well. I suppose I can always clone the successful ones, can't I?" He laughed. "Start this one on inhibitors in six months. That should give her body time to stabilize. Until then, this section is to be completely off limits. All feedings are to be handled remotely, is that understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir." The tech made a note on the pad he carried.  
  
"If anyone has a problem with the order, remind them of what happened to your predecessors."  
  
"Yes, sir." They left the room, the tech looking back only once.  
  
Star understood the remembered conversation now. She had read everything in Professor Xavier's extensive library, and all of Beast's medical texts. Without the daily dose of inhibitors, her body had returned to its natural chemical balance which, somehow, triggered the loss of her painfully developed shields which, in turn, triggered the deadly assault. She had felt the people around her beginning to collapse, their minds fading. First the police and the bailiff, then Wolverine. Then others in the next room, including Professor Xavier and Jubilee. She'd felt another familiar mind go dark as her power reached Rogue. Her clothing burst into flames as she sought to go ever higher, trying desperately to outdistance her own mind. At last, as she gasped for breath in the thinning atmosphere, the voices faded from her mind. She could not stay here long. She dared not descend.  
  
  
"Logan, can you hear me?" The Professor's voice seemed to come from a distance. "Logan?"  
  
"C'mon, Wolvie. Ya gotta be okay." With a great effort, Wolverine opened his eyes. Jubilee was sitting on the floor, bending over him. He looked past her to the Professor and Rogue. He groaned and closed his eyes.  
  
"Wolverine?" Jubilee said anxiously.  
  
"S'okay, darlin'," he said, cautiously opening his eyes again. "I just ain't had a headache this bad in...well, longer 'n I can remember." Rogue offered him her hand and he gingerly got to his feet.  
  
"Where's Star?" she asked him. He indicated the hole in the ceiling.  
  
"Ya mean somebody took her?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"No, darlin'. She left under her own steam."  
  
"Oh, great. Just what this family needs, another flyer!"  
  
"Jubilee!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Rogue. I didn't mean anything, its just that you and Storm flit about where ever you want to go, and you guys won't even let me drive."  
  
"Rogue, will you try to find her? I'll contact Jean and have her send Storm to help you."  
  
"'Course, Professor."  
  
"Rogue."  
  
"Yeah, Wolverine?"  
  
"Be careful when ya find 'er. She was glowing white hot when she lit outta here." Rogue nodded.  
  
"Jubilee."  
  
"Yeah?" Rogue tossed her the keys to the van.  
  
"Way cool!" Rogue disappeared through the hole in the ceiling, to begin her search for Star.  
  
"Jean."  
  
"Yes Professor?"  
  
"We have lost Star. Rogue is looking for her. Will you ask Storm to help her?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Try to sense her, Jean. I am somewhat weakened and can not find her."  
  
"Yes, Professor." He felt her concern but knew she would wait for an explanation.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Jubilee?"  
  
"What happened? I mean," Jubilee gestured around the courtroom, filled with unmoving bodies. "How come they're all knocked out but you and me and Rogue weren't?"  
  
"When I felt Star lose control I was, somewhat, able to protect you and Rogue. Familiar minds are easier to shield. Wolverine, you were too close to her."  
  
"No kiddin'."  
  
"Are they gonna be okay?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"I believe so. Those furthest from the, uh, center, should recover first."  
  
"Shouldn't we be goin'?"  
  
"Of course, Wolverine." Professor Xavier and Jubilee left through the open door. Wolverine saw the broken bracelet lying on the floor and paused to scoop it up. He put it in his shirt pocket and followed.  
  
  
Storm hurried out of the mansion and into the sky. Gambit watched warily. Whenever Storm was in a hurry, it usually meant trouble. Beast followed a moment later and stood, watching Storm disappear into the blue sky.  
  
"Trouble, mon amie?" Gambit asked.  
  
"Of course." Beast sighed. "We seem to have ... misplaced ... Star."  
  
"'Misplaced'."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"De others okay?"  
  
"Apparently. Jean reports the Professor, Wolverine and Jubilee are returning."  
  
"Why Wolverine not lookin' for de petite?"  
  
"Star seems to have chosen a vertical egress."  
  
"She went up?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Another one." Gambit muttered under his breath.  
  
"It does seem to be a mode of transportation favored by the females of the Xavier household." Beast looked skyward once more, then turned and went back inside, leaving Gambit alone on the porch once more.  
  
  
Star was growing cold and it was becoming harder to breath. She was running out of time. By successfully closing her mind to the many voices below, she had also cut off the flow of power which had sustained her. She had to find a haven. Now. She allowed herself to fall to a level where she could breath more easily, then she began to search for the Xavier mansion. The X-Men had helped her before, perhaps they could help her now.  
  
  
Far below, Storm and Rogue searched, neither believing an out of control child could rise so high. Storm used her power to search for a heat source in the clouds. She found a trace, which she and Rogue tried to follow, but it was too faint, fading too quickly in the brisk winds.  
  
  
At last Star sensed the familiar resonance of the place she had begun to consider home in the last few weeks. With her powers rapidly failing her, she plummeted ground ward.  
  
  
"Jean, can you find her?" Scott asked gently.  
  
"No. I can't sense her at all." She opened her eyes and looked up at Cyclops. "Either she has completely closed off her mind, or..." she paused.  
  
"Or what, Jean?"  
  
"Or the child is dead, Scott."  
  
"Dear Lord."  
  
  
Star could feel the world fading around her. With the last of the energy garnered from the unwitting population of the city below her, she redirected her fall toward home. Too late. Her world went dark. And she fell.  
  
  
Rogue and Storm searched the heavens for their missing charge, moving outward on opposite arms of a spiral, with the city at its center. Rogue caught a flicker of movement and paused in her flight. It was Star. She was falling. And she was too far away!  
  
"Storm!" she cried, pointing. Storm whirled at Rogue's cry. She saw Star and called upon the powers of the winds. But it was too far even for her powers. The two X-Men watched helplessly while the girl fell, both rushing to aid her, but knowing their assistance would arrive too late.  
  
  
Jean gasped. The house rang with a terrific crash.  
  
"What?" Cyclops leaped to his feet at the sound.  
  
"Scott, its Star! I felt her, but she was too close. I couldn't stop her fall!"  
  
  
  
Gambit was still on the porch when Star slammed into the roof of the mansion. An instant later she fell to the roof of the porch. Her limp and battered body rolled off the roof and fell, almost leisurely, to drop into the well manicured flowers almost at Gambit's feet. He stared at her for a moment, then leaped over the railing to land at her side. He knelt beside her and gently brushed aside her hair. He felt the throb of her pulse in her throat. It was slow and weak. He had never touched a living being as cold as this girl. Her skin was blue. He took his shirt off and carefully placed it over her. The scorched fragments of her own clothing offered her no protection. Beast and Cyclops burst from the house, followed closely by Jean.  
  
"Here!" he called. "She hurt bad, mes amies." Beast gently checked her for spinal injuries before turning her to her back, exposing her shattered left arm.  
  
"Let's get her inside," he said. "I can see what else she has broken more easily in the dispensary." Gambit started to lift her, but Beast stopped him.  
  
"Jean, can you immobilize that arm?" Jean nodded. Gambit carefully picked her up while Jean prevented her broken arm from moving. Cyclops held the door open as Gambit climbed the stairs, followed by Jean and Beast. Star's head rested on Gambit's bare shoulder, her cheek against his skin.  
  
"Hey, Beast. She warmin' back up."  
  
Storm and Rogue swooped to a landing on the porch, hurrying to follow the others. Jean stumbled, then fell to her knees. Scott reached to help her, then fell himself. Gambit half turned, then his knees buckled. He twisted, trying not to fall on the broken body he carried, unaware that she was the cause of his sudden weakness. Beast collapsed, then Storm and Rogue slumped. In moments, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was silent.  
  
Star opened her eyes. She was confused, disoriented. Her last memory had been of falling, now she was lying on a tiled floor, the warmth of another person next to her. She tried to lift herself, but her left arm wasn't working and when she bumped the tile with it pain flooded through her. She drew her knees up to her chest and knelt on the floor, her forehead resting on the cool tile, her injured arm across her chest. She fought against passing out. In a few moments, she felt she could try to sit up again. She pushed herself up with her good arm, keeping the other cradled against her body. She looked around and realized that she was surrounded by the bodies of the X-Men.  
  
"No, please, no," she moaned. "Not again. Not my friends." She could still feel them in her mind. She had not killed them. Not yet. She had to get away from them. She could feel them weakening more and more the longer she stayed close to them. Her awareness of Gambit ... flickered. He was dying. She had been closest to him and had drained him more heavily than the others. She knew she couldn't get far enough away to break the connection in time to save him. Desperately, she tried to reverse the energy flow. She placed her hand on his bare chest and willed the life energy she had stolen back into him. His presence in her mind steadied, then brightened. The others continued to grow dimmer. Gambit groaned. Then he opened his eyes and looked up at her.  
  
"Mon petite, what you do?" he asked weakly, his hand seeking hers. She snatched her hand away. Moving on her knees and her good hand, she crawled toward the door. Gambit turned over with a painful effort. Star had reached the door. She pulled herself to her feet, using the sturdy door frame for support.  
  
"Chere, wait," he called to her, pushing himself to his knees. She looked back at him, tears in her eyes, then pushed herself away from the door frame, staggering across the porch until she reached the stair rail, where she clung for a moment. Gambit gained his feet behind her, but when he tried to follow he stumbled over Cyclops' outstretched arm and went down heavily. He got to his knees again, but was unable to go any further. He could only watch as she stumbled down the stairs to the lawn, then walked, weaving drunkenly, across the manicured grass to the woods surrounding the mansion. In only a few steps, she had disappeared into the gloom under the trees. He sank back on his heels, staring after her for a moment. Then he turned to his companions. He crawled from one to another and determined that each was alive, though none of them showed any sign of rousing. He returned to Rogue's side and leaned his back against the still open door.  
  
"Chere," he said to her unresponsive form. "If anybody pick now to attack, we be sittin' ducks."  
  
  
Star stumbled deeper into the woods. She was cold and pulled tight the shirt Gambit had wrapped around her. Her arm hurt almost unbearably, but she was aware of other injuries. She didn't know how she had been hurt, but, as Wolverine would have said, she'd done a good job of it. In addition to the broken arm, she thought her ribs were probably broken, her knee had swollen to the point that it wouldn't bend and would barely support her weight. There was also a large bruise spreading on her abdomen. She knew she couldn't go much further, but she didn't know if she was far enough to put the X-Men out of danger. So she kept going, hobbling from one tree to the next, leaning more heavily on each. She leaned against one tree for several minutes before trying to go on. When she pushed away from the tree, her legs crumpled beneath her and she fell, landing on her broken arm. White hot pain flowed through her for an instant before being replaced by a merciful darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"All right, Wolvie," Jubilee said as she pulled the van into the drive to the mansion. "We're here, you can ungrit your teeth."  
  
"I don't think so." He answered, looking toward the house.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What is it, Wolverine?" The Professor asked from the rear of the van.  
  
"Don't know, but I c'n see Gambit sittin' in the door and I think, yeah, Rogue's lying on the floor behind him. Lot o' blood, too."  
  
"I do not sense any hostile thought patterns," Xavier told him. He opened the door of the van before Jubilee had brought the vehicle to a stop. "You two stay here." He closed the van door quietly then bounded up the steps, his claws extended. He crouched next to Gambit, who lifted his head at Wolverine's approach.  
  
"Glad to see you, mon amie. Don' t'ink I could stand off a kitten right now."  
  
"What gives?"  
  
"Don' know. We bringin' de petite inside, an' ever't'ing go dark. If dis a new weapon, nobody followin' up."  
  
"You found Star?"  
  
"She find us." Someone groaned and Gambit turned his head. "Dey all alive, mon amie. You best go find de girl. She broke up real bad."  
  
"Where?" Gambit pointed toward the trees.  
  
"'Bout half hour ago." Wolverine retracted his claws and turned back to the van. He opened the side door and leaned in.  
  
"Star's been here. I don't smell nobody else."  
  
"The others?"  
  
"Gambit says they're all alive. I gotta find the kid. The Cajun says she's hurt."  
  
"Wolverine, that might not be wise. She is obviously unable to control her powers and, as you have seen, she can be a danger even to you."  
  
"Yeah, well, I ain't never been known for wise decisions." He turned to Jubilee, listening wide eyed from the front seat.  
  
"Darlin', you an' the Prof get inside an' see what ya can do for them. I'll be right back." He moved around the van and quickly crossed the yard, looking for the exact place Star had entered the woods. It wasn't hard to find, she'd left a blood trail a blind man could have followed. He followed her trail for nearly fifteen minutes. He didn't know how anyone could still be alive after losing that much blood, much less keep moving. His nostrils flared as he caught a familiar scent. Gambit? He stepped around yet another tree, this one smeared more heavily with blood than the last, and saw Star. She lay on her right side, her arm extended over her head, trying to pull herself along, pushing weakly with one leg. She had Gambit's shirt around her.  
  
  
"Star," he said, straightening up from a crouch. She turned her head to look at him,  
  
"Stay away from me," she said, frantically clutching a tree root and pulling herself away from him.  
  
"Star, I ain't gonna hurt ya, darlin'."  
  
"But I might hurt you. Please stay away."  
  
"Can't do that, kid. You're hurt bad an' I gotta get ya back where we can take care of ya."  
  
"No! I can't go back. I hurt them all. Nearly killed Gambit," she stopped trying to pull away from him. "Too many people. Too many voices. Couldn't shut 'em out."  
  
"You didn't kill anybody, darlin'. Gambit was the only one awake when we got here. Didn't look like he was about ta die ta me."  
  
"No, I ... I gave him some back." Wolverine moved closer.  
  
"You couldn't stop takin', but you could give ta Gambit?"  
  
"I...I guess."  
  
"You couldn't block 'em out 'cause there was too many of 'em, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Its just you an' me out here, darlin'. Let me see what I c'n do for ya." He moved up beside her, she watched him with wide, frightened eyes.  
  
"Doin' okay?"  
  
"I think so." He quickly checked her for injuries. He found the pressure point high on her left arm, above the protruding bone.  
  
"You've lost a lot o' blood from that arm, darlin'. We gotta get the bleedin' stopped first." The bleeding, which had slowed to a sluggish trickle, stopped. He cut a strip from the bottom of the shirt he wore, and tied it around her arm. He released the pressure point, but the bleeding did not start again.  
  
"The arm's obvious, babe. Where else ya hurt?"  
  
"My ribs," she answered quietly. "And my stomach hurts." He gently probed her ribs with his fingertips.  
  
"Yep, they're broken, but it don' sound like you've punctured a lung. Hafta be careful when we move ya, though." He examined the large bruise on her abdomen and shook his head.  
  
"You're bleedin' inside, darlin'. I gotta get you back ta the house."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Tell ya what, I'll take ya back slow 'n easy. When ya start to feel the pressure o' the others, tell me an' we'll stop for a bit." He bent and carefully lifted her, she put her arm around his neck.  
  
"Ready?" She nodded, her broken arm across her body.  
  
  
  
He carried her to the edge of the lawn before she felt herself being overwhelmed. He stopped and shouted,  
  
"Jubilee!"  
  
"Wolvie!" Jubilee's voice answered him from inside the huge house. "You find her?" Jubilee burst through the door.  
  
"Stay back, darlin'." Jubilee slowed, but didn't stop,  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Just do what yer told, girl." She stopped. "You doin' okay, Star?" Star nodded weakly and he turned his attention back to Jubilee.  
  
"Is everybody up an' about?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, get 'em ta go to the back part o' the house, as far from the med lab as possible, ya got that?"  
  
"I got it. She okay?"  
  
"So far, now git." Jubilee got. She came back about two minutes later.  
  
"Okay, Wolvie. Everybody 'cept me and the Professor 's out of the way."  
  
"Thanks, darlin'." He carried Star across the lawn and into the house. Xavier met them at the door.  
  
"Star, if you will let me, I can help you block out the others' minds."  
  
"Try" she answered. Xavier concentrated for a moment, then said,  
  
"Go ahead, Wolverine. Jubilee, would you ask Henry to join us in the med lab, please? And tell the others the situation is under control."  
  
"Sure," she dashed off down the hall.  
  
  
  
Wolverine carefully lowered Star to the gurney Beast had quickly prepared. She smiled up at him, as if he were the one in need of reassurance. Perhaps he was. He'd seen grown men die of injuries less severe.  
  
"Just hang on, kid. Hank here is our resident miracle worker." She raised her right hand and Wolverine took it in his. She looked at their joined hands for a moment, and a frown flickered across her face.  
  
"Wolverine," her voice was barely audible.  
  
"Yeah, kid?"  
  
"I lost my bracelet."  
  
"Got it right here," he told her, reaching into his shirt pocket. "Catch is busted," he said, showing it to her, "but I'll get it fixed, no problem."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
Dr. Henry McCoy was appalled by the extent of the injuries revealed by the scan he had run while Wolverine talked to Star. In addition to her arm, which was broken in at least seven different places, she had broken ribs, just as Wolverine had told him; an apparently ruptured spleen, which was going to have to be the priority if they were going to prevent death due to hemorrhage; she had torn the ligaments in her right knee; and she had a concussion. She seemed to be holding on to awareness by sheer will.  
  
  
  
"Star," Beast said. She turned her head slightly to look at him. "I am going to give you something that will make you sleep. While you are sleeping, I will do what I can for you, all right?" She shook her head, no.  
  
"Don't be afraid, dear. We will take care of you."  
  
"No," she insisted. "Can't ... sleep. Can't ... hold ... asleep."  
  
"Star," Xavier spoke quietly. "I will maintain your shields. Let Hank do what he must." She stared at him for a long moment, then said,  
  
"All ... right." Hank took Star's hand from Wolverine, straightened her arm, and injected the anesthetic. She watched as he withdrew the needle, then looked up at Wolverine. She smiled again, then closed her eyes. Xavier gasped.  
  
"What is it, Charles?" Beast asked.  
  
"She had a much stronger hold on her powers than I believed. Wolverine, please tell Jean that I need her." Wolverine nodded, then looked down at Star once more. He looked up, to find Storm watching him as Hank prepared to operate.  
  
"Storm, you an' Hank take good care o' that kid. She's got more guts 'n anybody I've seen in a long time."  
  
"We will do our best." Wolverine left the med lab to find Jean.  
  
  
  
Wolverine sat on the front steps, a cigar clamped between his teeth, the ember glowing redly in the darkness. Jubilee came out and sat next to him. After several minutes of silence, she said,  
  
"Wolvie?" He took the cigar out of his mouth and turned to look at her.  
  
"Is she gonna be okay? I mean, she isn't hurt that bad, is she?"  
  
"Yeah, she is. I don' know why she was alive when I found her." He held his arm out to Jubilee and she moved closer to him, accepting the friendship and protection that was implied in his embrace.  
  
"Did anybody tell you what happened?"  
  
"Yeah," he looked down at her with a sudden grin. "Mebbe flyin' ain't all its cut out to be."  
  
"Maybe not," Jubilee reluctantly agreed.  
  
Scott opened the door behind them and they both turned.  
  
"She's out of surgery. Hank says its still touch and go, but he thinks she'll make it. We've got a couple of other problems, though."  
  
"What's up?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"Jean and the Professor are both exhausted from keeping her powers under control. She's awake right now, but Hank wants her to sleep. Problem is, when she's asleep or unconscious, she has no control. Charles says its a survival trait that she has to consciously override."  
  
"What about that doohickey Hank and Jubilee brought back from the lab where we got her in the first place? Hank's had plenty o' time to figure it out."  
  
"Good idea, Wolverine."  
  
"Think I'll go see him about it." Wolverine put his cigar out, then went to the med lab.  
  
"You said we had a couple of problems, Cyke." Jubilee said.  
  
"Yeah. They've issued an arrest warrant for Star, for assault and battery."  
  
"Oh, man."  
  
"When the police called, Rogue told them Star'd been in an accident on the way home, and had been hospitalized."  
  
"We're not gonna let 'em arrest her, are we?"  
  
"No, Jubilee. It would be far too dangerous, among other things."  
  
"'Among other things'? Like 'its not right'?"  
  
"Don't worry. We'll think of something."  
  
"Yeah." Jubilee muttered. "I bet they'll let those goons that attacked Star off, too."  
  
"They have."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Defense attorney changed the plea from not guilty, to self defense. The DA dropped the charges."  
  
"That's just great. What else can go wrong around here?"  
  
  
  
Wolverine found Beast in the hall outside the room Star had occupied on her first night in the mansion.  
  
"How's the kid, Hank?"  
  
"Truthfully, Wolverine, she is doing much better than I expected. Which, unfortunately, is still not very well. She is awake, if you wish to see her." Beast shook his head. "That child throws off an anesthetic nearly as quickly as you do. She awakened twice during surgery. I only wish she had some of your healing abilities."  
  
"Cyke said Jean and Chuck were having trouble keepin' her powers shut down."  
  
"Yes, indeed. While conscious she seems to have the ability to successfully block her capacity for energy consumption, dependent, of course, upon our ability to keep her from becoming overloaded. However, when she is not conscious, her body recognizes her need for the energy input, and seeks that energy out, where ever it can be found."  
  
"What about the circuit board you brought outta that lab?"  
  
"Charles believes that to subject her to such an artificial suppression would be too traumatic."  
  
"More traumatic than knowin' that if ya take a nap, you could wake up surrounded by corpses?"  
  
"Well, when you put it that way..."  
  
"Anybody ask her?"  
  
"Uh, no."  
  
"After you." Wolverine intoned, opening the door to Star's room.  
  
"Quite."  
  
  
  
  
Star lay on the hospital bed, the head raised so she could breath more easily. Her right leg was supported at the knee by several pillows, her skin nearly as white at the bandaging. Her left arm was completely surrounded by a cage like device which kept her broken bones from shifting, while still allowing a certain amount of mobility in the limb. The bandages on her abdomen and chest were hidden beneath the gown she wore. She looked up as they entered and shuddered as Beast's thoughts reached her.  
  
"How soon?" she asked them.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How soon can you set up the field?"  
  
"Blabbermouth." Wolverine grumbled.  
  
"Not his fault, Wolverine. I have difficulty closing out your thoughts, and you are the quietest person I've ever listened too."  
  
"Star, we don't have to do this." Beast said, looking kindly down at her.  
  
"Yes, we do. I sensed the growing exhaustion in both Jean and the Professor. If you won't turn on the field, I will have to leave."  
  
"You can't leave, dear. It would kill you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Ya'd try it anyway, wouldn't ya, kid." She didn't answer. Beast sighed.  
  
"I should be able to set it up in about fifteen minutes."  
  
"Please," she said quietly. Beast nodded and turned for the door.  
  
"I'll be back in a minute, kid." Wolverine said, following Beast.  
  
"How big a field can you set up?" he asked after closing the door behind him.  
  
"I don't know. The original equipment was for an area of only about six cubic feet."  
  
"Yeah. The size o' that glass coffin we found her in."  
  
"What did you have in mind?"  
  
"How 'bout somethin' the size o' that room she's in."  
  
"Hmm. We should have sufficient power for that. I'll get started."  
  
"Thanks, Hank." Wolverine opened the door and went back in to Star's room.  
  
"How ya doin', kid?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I don't think so. Ya wanna try again?"  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"C'mon, darlin'. Give."  
  
"I'm scared," she whispered, refusing to look at him.  
  
"Ain't nothin' wrong with that." He took her chin and turned her head toward him.  
  
"I hurt all over."  
  
"That's no surprise. Ya tried ta make a door in the roof."  
  
"And my arm feels funny."  
  
"Funny how?"  
  
"Just funny."  
  
"We'll get Hank ta look at it when he comes back." She looked away, reminded of what Beast was doing.  
  
"Hey, its gonna be okay, darlin'. Ya ain't gonna be left alone. This is just so ya c'n sleep. When yer awake, it don' even have ta be turned on."  
  
"I know. Its just so ... alone inside the field. I still dream about the first time I couldn't control my powers."  
  
"Its all right. Ya got the X-Men ta take care o' ya this time."  
  
She was staring at her hands,  
  
"When the police come tomorrow, they'll lock me up, won't they?" She was trembling.  
  
"What are you talkin' about?"  
  
"I can hear everybody in the house. Scott and the Professor are talking about what to tell the police when they get here in the morning. Scott thinks they'll try to take me away from here, put me in a cage again."  
  
"We ain't gonna let that happen." He wanted to take her in his arms, comfort her, as he had so often held Jubilee, but she was too badly injured. He settled for holding her hand. "The X-Men take care o' their own."  
  
"Xavier does not think of me as an X-Man. He considers me a patient, nothing more. A troublesome patient." She finally looked up at him. "He doesn't know if he can help me. He thinks he may have to permanently block my powers."  
  
"He won't have to, darlin'," he told her. "I got a place up in the mountains. Ain't nobody around for miles. If you an' Chuck can't figure a way around this, I'll take ya up there."  
  
A short time later Beast opened the door and entered quietly. Star looked over at him and fear flickered across her face. Beast smiled reassuringly. She clung weakly to Wolverine's hand.  
  
"Everything is set up, Star. Are you ready?" She nodded sharply. "We're going to have to adjust the equipment once its turned on. You will need to help us with that, all right?"  
  
"All right."  
  
"Good." He turned to the intercom, "Storm? Go ahead."  
  
Nothing happened for several moments, then Star gasped.  
  
"Star?" Beast asked. She looked up at Wolverine, startled.  
  
"Its like an echo," she said. "I can hear you hear Beast, but I can't hear him myself."  
  
"Storm, expand the field, please. Star, tell me when you can see me again." Star turned toward Beast,  
  
"Now."  
  
"That's good, Storm. Lock the controls there, please."  
  
"Done." Storm's voice came back over the intercom. "Henry, when you have finished there, the Professor would like to speak with you." Beast shook his head, smiling ruefully,  
  
"I will be there in a few minutes." He moved back to the side of the bed.  
  
"Star, I want you to sleep now. Give your body a chance to heal. Do not worry, the field will not fail while you sleep." He carefully smoothed the hair away from her forehead. "Rest, little one. The intercom is within the field." He place a call button on the bed, in easy reach, "If you need anything, press this, and someone will answer you. All right?" She nodded. Beast smiled at her.  
  
"Good night, then." He turned and left the room. To Star, it appeared as if he ceased to exist just before he reached to doorway.  
  
Wolverine squeezed her hand gently, then released it.  
  
"Get some shuteye, kid. I'll check on ya later." He left the room, leaving the lights on behind him. Star looked around the room after he left. It wasn't as bad as she had expected. She could see most of the room. She could see the boundaries of the field, as well, as a sharp, silvery wall. She relaxed at last, closing her eyes, and trying to close her mind to the pain. Soon, she slept.  
  
  
  
  



	6. Dealing with the Authorities

"Charles, my patient required more care than you were capable of providing. After considering the situation, and consulting with the patient, I made the decision that this course of action was necessary. Please do not presume to tell me what is best for the girl. At this point, her physical condition requires that she rest a considerable portion of the time."  
  
"Henry, after I had dealt with the police, I was going to return to her side to reinforce her shields."  
  
"For how long, Charles? Jean was clearly exhausted after the surgery. How long could you have maintained her defenses? An hour? Perhaps two? Then what, awaken Jean and have her try to take over? I think not." He sighed. "The child was terrified of falling asleep. She values other's lives above her own. I believe her capable of willing her own death rather than endanger anyone again. She has come dangerously close to doing just that." He rubbed his forehead wearily. "There is a very real possibility that we could lose her even now. If using that abomination increases her chances of survival even slightly, then I am willing to use it." Xavier was silent for a moment, then he said,  
  
"I apologize. I believed I had her best interests at heart. I should have realized that you have the same goal," he paused. "I sometimes feel that I am growing too old to manage the challenges this world keeps throwing at us. I truly do not know how to help Star."  
  
"The first thing ya gotta do is stop treatin' her like a piece o' furniture." Wolverine said from the doorway, leaning on the frame, his arms crossed.  
  
"Wolverine, we have not.."  
  
"Yeah, ya have. Yer actin' like she ain't got no brains of her own. Yer makin' decisions for her, and it ain't even occurred ta ya ta ask her what she wants."  
  
"Wolverine, she is a child. It is our responsibility..."  
  
"I don' know what else she is or isn't, but she ain't no child. She was in there wonderin' just how long yer gonna wait to shut her down." He moved away from the door frame, "Ya really think you could turn her off if she didn't want ya too? But ya know what?" He shook his head, angry, "She ain't gonna resist. She'll accept whatever you decide. 'Cause she still thinks of herself as just an experiment. I ain't gonna let ya do that to her, Chuck. Would a' been kinder ta leave her where we found her. Least they'd o' killed her quick."  
  
"Wolverine, there may be no choice."  
  
"There's always a choice. Ya just gotta look for it." He glared at Xavier, "An' sometimes ya gotta ask." He stormed from the room.  
  
"Charles," Xavier looked toward Beast. "Are you actually considering destroying her powers?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But, without them,.."  
  
"She would be completely isolated. I know." He rubbed his forehead in an unconscious imitation of Beast's earlier gesture. "I'm going to bed, Henry. Call me if anything ... changes."  
  
"Of course."  
  
  
  
Wolverine slammed the Danger Room door behind him, then activated the program. Here he had found an outlet for his anger. After an hour or so of destroying simulated enemies, he thought it would be safe to check on Star. He showered and changed into a clean shirt and jeans. He almost knocked on the door to her room, but realized that she would be unable to hear him. He opened the door and went in. She slept. He watched her for a few minutes, then, satisfied that she would be all right at least for a while, he left, closing the door behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Early the next morning Beast opened the door to Star's room and went in. She was awake, but he was surprised when she turned toward him as he entered.  
  
"Star?" When she didn't answer, he stepped forward, through the invisible (to him) boundary created by the field he had set up the night before.  
  
"Oh. Hello, Henry." She smiled at his confusion. "I could feel the air pressure change when you opened the door, I just didn't know who had come in until you came closer."  
  
"I see. And how are you feeling this morning?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And how, exactly, do you define 'okay'?"  
  
"I'm still alive."  
  
"That is certainly a point in your favor. However, if you don't mind, I would like to have more specific information on how you feel. Are you in any pain?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You see? That does not fall into my definition of 'okay'. Besides, we can do something about pain." He opened the medical kit he carried with him, and removed a hypodermic syringe and a vial. "This will probably make you sleep, but, since you have a tendency to quickly metabolize medications, I want you to call as soon as it starts to wear off." He filled the syringe. "The only way I can gauge how much to give you is if you tell me how quickly the pain returns. All right?"  
  
"All right." He smiled at her as he gave her the injection. "I'll be back in a little while to change your bandages." He patted her hand. "Go to sleep, now. Its the best thing for you." She nodded, but watched him until he left the psi-dampening field. She shifted positions carefully, lay back and stared at the ceiling for a while. Soon the medication pushed her into sleep.  
  
  
  
"As I explained yesterday, there is absolutely no proof that Miss Star was involved in the incident at the courthouse . Furthermore, it would be much too dangerous to move her at this time. It would appear that you gentlepeople have made your journey for nothing." Professor Xavier was polite but firm with the contingent of uniformed officers which had appeared at his doorway that morning. "Even if it were not life threatening to move her, I would not allow you to take a minor from the custody of her legal guardian on the grounds of such flimsy evidence."  
  
"Professor Xavier," one of the officers said. "You reported that she had been in an accident yesterday and, while no one is doubting your word it would make it a lot easier for us to report back without her if we could see her."  
  
"I will see if it can be arranged." Xavier turned to the intercom and call Beast.  
  
"Dr. McCoy, we have several official visitors who believe it is necessary to see Emily. Is she able to have visitors for a moment?"  
  
"She's asleep, Professor. I'd rather she not be disturbed." Beast answered at once.  
  
"Professor," the officer interrupted. "We just need to see her. We don't need to talk to her now."  
  
"Doctor?"  
  
"All right, Professor. But only for a moment."  
  
"I'll see to it that she is not disturbed." He turned to the police officers, "Gentlemen, Lady, this way, if you please." He led them down the hall to the wing reserved for the laboratories and medical care rooms. Jubilee and Wolverine were just coming out of Star's room.  
  
"What's with the goon squad?" Jubilee asked while Wolverine bristled.  
  
"Jubilation, it is usually best to cooperate with the authorities. These officers merely need to see that Emily is indeed here."  
  
"Kid's asleep." Wolverine growled.  
  
"We will not disturb her." Xavier assured him. Wolverine continued to eye the police suspiciously. Xavier opened Star's door and preceded the police into the room. One of the officers, a young man who had not spoken since they arrived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters watched Wolverine carefully. He edged past and followed the others into the room. Jubilee nudged Wolverine.  
  
"How come it takes three of 'em to check on one kid?" Wolverine didn't answer.  
  
Star lay on her back, her injured arm and leg propped up with pillows. She shifted positions slightly and made a small sound of pain. The young officer slipped into the room behind the others.  
  
The officer who seemed to be in charge, turned to Xavier,  
  
"Thank you, Professor," she said quietly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I hope she's feeling better soon." She turned for the door.  
  
"Now wait a minute, Wilson," the third officer said. "We don't know those bandages are real. These people could've set this up to throw us off."  
  
"Harry," Wilson said, turning back to the older man. "We've got no reason to doubt the Professor."  
  
"Maybe not. But everybody knows how he feels about mutants, and that kid is definitely a mutant. I'm not going anywhere until I see for myself." He stepped forward and grabbed Star's arm and shouted at her to wake up. She sat up with a cry just as Wolverine hit the policeman from the side. The others moved forward to separate them. Star, confused by the pain medication Beast had given her, and frightened by the sudden appearance of the three policemen, moved away from the chaos in her room. She managed to tangle her legs in the blanket and then, having pushed herself to the head of the bed, fell off above the guard rail. She landed flat on her back. Wilson and the young officer were restraining Harry while Wolverine glared at them all. Xavier rolled his chair through the psi-dampener. It had obstructed his ability to stop Harry, or prevent Star's fall.  
  
"Harry, don't you have any sense at all? We were told she was badly injured. Don't you realize you could have hurt her?"  
  
"Only if they were telling the truth." Wolverine growled at him.  
  
Jubilee hopped up on the bed, then down on the other side, to check on Star. Star was wild eyed when Jubilee knelt next to her on the floor.  
  
"Star? Its Jubilee. Don't you remember me?" Some of the wildness faded and Jubilee slipped an arm under Star, to help her back into the bed. Star flinched, but allowed Jubilee to help her sit up. She held her good arm clamped to her side, her hand across her stomach. She flinched again, then started to cough. Jubilee glanced down and saw blood spreading on Star's gown, under her hand. Star coughed again and this time Jubilee saw drops of   
blood spatter on the blanket.  
  
"Oh, wow," she said, then, her voice calm "Wolvie." Wolverine glanced at her, but made no move in her direction, his attention still for the police officers. "Wolvie, I need you, now!" Her voice wasn't so calm this time. He hurried around the bed and saw the blood. Jubilee, careful not to let Star slip, moved out of Wolverine's way as he knelt beside them. He put his arm behind Star's shoulders, then said,  
  
"I got her, darlin'. You go get Hank. Tell 'im to hurry." Jubilee hopped over the bed again and dashed out of the room. Wolverine carefully picked Star up and put her back on the bed. The young officer moved to help.  
  
"Don't touch her!" Wolverine snarled at him. Xavier moved his wheelchair to the side of the bed.  
  
"Officer," he said, his voice cold. "If you want to help, I suggest you remove your fellow officer from this room." The officer turned and helped Wilson shove Harry, whose face was set in an odd smirk, out of the room. They quickly got out of the way as Jubilee came running, accompanied by Beast. Storm had tossed him the image inducer he used when leaving the mansion, so he appeared to be a normal, if large, man.  
  
"What happened?" he demanded as he leaned over Star.  
  
"One o' them uniformed geeks decided Star was fakin'." Wolverine told him. "He scared her and she fell off the flamin' bed."  
  
"Star?" she looked up at Beast, her expression dazed. "We're going to move you, dear. Ready?" she nodded. Beast gently shifted her to the gurney Storm had brought. She moaned. Beast and Storm moved the gurney out of the room, toward the Med Lab. Wolverine followed them out the door, but turned in the direction the police, herded by Xavier, had taken.  
  
"No!" he heard Star cry. He turned toward the sound, and saw her reaching for him. "Please don't leave me." He turned back and took her hand. He helped Beast and Storm guide the gurney. Once in the Med Lab, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Beast scrubbed and put on surgical gloves while Storm cut away Star's bloody gown and bandages. The neatly stitched incision in her abdomen had torn open and was bleeding freely. Wolverine held her hand and spoke quietly to her.  
  
"Take it easy, darlin'. Ya got one o' the best docs in the world takin' care of ya."  
  
"Can't....breath," she gasped, then coughed, expelling more blood.  
  
Looking at the scanners, Beast said,  
  
"You've got a punctured lung, Star. We're going to put in a chest tube and you'll be able to breath. Logan, don't let her move." Wolverine held her shoulders while Beast inserted the tube in her chest, she hissed through gritted teeth, then sighed as the tube relieved the pressure in her chest and she could breath again. Blood and air, leaking into her chest from her lung, flowed out the tube. Beast turned his attention to the torn incision. Storm brought an IV set up over to the table and put the needle in Star's right arm. Whole blood began to flow into her vein. Xavier came in to the Med Lab. Wolverine could see Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee through the door before it closed.  
  
"Henry?"  
  
"I need to put her out, Charles."  
  
"I understand. Star," she weakly turned her head toward him. "Don't fight me, dear. I will take care of your shields." Wolverine started to pull away from her, but she grabbed his hand frantically. He stayed. Storm injected an anesthetic into the IV. Star started to relax as the drug took hold. Her white knuckled grip on Wolverine's hand eased, but did not release. Beast and Storm cut the remaining stitches from the incision. They cleaned the area, looking for the origin of the blood which welled up. Blood continued to trickle from the chest tube as well.  
  
"Here it is. She's torn the internal stitches loose." Beast gently began to repair the damage. Wolverine continued to speak to Star. Her eyes were closed, her expression relaxed, but she continued to hold on to his hand. Wolverine glanced at Xavier. His face was covered with a sheen of sweat, his expression was grim.  
  
Storm placed a mask over Star's face and began to feed her oxygen as well as an anesthetic gas. Star's grasp finally loosened. A moment later Xavier cried out and slumped over in his chair. Star screamed and sat up, tearing the mask from her face. Wolverine caught her around the shoulders and eased her to her back while Beast used both hand to try and staunch the bleeding. Storm hurriedly checked Xavier.  
  
"He is alive, but unconscious."  
  
"He'll have to wait. Please re configure the psi-dampener. Star," he spoke to her directly. "We're going to have to place you under the dampener again. Ororo will put you back to sleep as soon as its set up. I need you to be very still until then." Star looked up at Wolverine.  
  
"I'll be right here, kid. I ain't gonna leave ya." Once more she clung to his hand. Storm adjusted the equipment until Star's body was surrounded by the invisible dampening field. Star's knuckles went white as she clutched Wolverine's hand. Storm put the mask back on. Beast worked feverishly, with Storm's help, to stop the bleeding.  
  
"'Roro, get another unit of whole blood. She's losing it faster than we are replacing it." After several minutes of frantic activity Storm said,  
  
"Her heart rate is dropping, Henry. Respiration is failing. We're losing her."  
  
"Epinephrine. Quickly." Storm injected Star and her heart rate picked up.  
  
"She's still bleeding into the chest cavity. There are a couple of bleeders here. Take care of them while I get a look at her chest." Star shuddered as Beast realigned her broken rib and located the area of bleeding. The lung had collapsed and would have to be reinflated after he had repaired the rip caused by the rib. He carefully stitched the torn blood vessels, then closed the injured lung. Her heart rate began to fall again. She didn't respond to the epinephrine this time.  
  
"I don't understand why she's not responding," Beast said. We've got the bleeding stopped now, and we're replacing the blood volume as quickly as possible. Her heart rate should be picking up, not falling. What does that scanner say? Did we miss something?"  
  
Storm shook her head,  
  
"Everything is clear. I do not show any more internal bleeding. She should be improving."  
  
"Hank, turn off the dampener." Wolverine said suddenly  
  
"What?"  
  
"She's givin' up. If ya wanta save her, turn the damn thing off." Beast glanced at the still motionless Xavier.  
  
"She ain't dangerous. She's wide awake. Has been the whole time." Beast was appalled. The relaxed posture of her body had lead him to believe she was unconscious.  
  
"Shut it off! Don't let her die locked up inside her head like this." Beast slapped the power switch for the dampener. Star's heart rate jumped then began to fall again.  
  
"C'mon, kid. Don't give up on us now." Star opened her eyes and looked up at Wolverine.  
  
"Star, why didn't you say something?" Beast demanded. She looked over at him.  
  
"Told ... me ... be still."  
  
"You always do what yer told?" Wolverine asked her. She just looked at him. "Yeah, I guess you do."  
  
"Star, listen to me," Storm said earnestly. "Your body is very weak, child. If you are to survive it will be necessary for you to want to live."  
  
"Too ... tired," she answered simply, closing her eyes. Her heart rate dropped steadily.  
  
"Star! Open your eyes and look at me!" Wolverine ordered. She looked up at him, her face expressionless. "We all get tired, darlin'. That's what we got each other for. Way I figure it, you can take what you need, but you don't wanna hurt nobody, right?" She nodded weakly. "Now, 'nother minute or two an' yer gonna pass out, right 'Roro? Hank?" Both physicians nodded. "Then yer body's gonna take over, tryin' ta survive. I'm offerin' ya what ya need. Take it."  
  
"No! Hurt ... you."  
  
"Yer gonna do mor'n that if ya don't do it now, while ya can control it."  
  
"No." Wolverine shrugged.  
  
"Then we wait."  
  
"No!" Her vital signs picked up and she tried to push him away. He put his arms around her, easily ignoring her feeble resistance, and held her close. She continued to struggle, growing weaker.  
  
"Please. Just let me go," she sobbed.  
  
"Not a chance, darlin'." Beast and Storm watched, helpless to aid either of their friends. Finally, Star's struggles ceased. She lay, sobbing, with her head against Wolverine's chest. She looked up at him, fighting to retain consciousness.  
  
"Please," she whispered. He just shook his head. Slowly, she reached up and touched his cheek. He looked at her, waiting. A gentle lethargy overtook him as her readings stabilized on the scanner. Beast supported him as he started to slump. Storm took Star from his arms and gently eased her to her back. The girl looked up at her, her eyes haunted. Beast knelt beside Wolverine. He nodded to Storm after checking the unconscious man.  
  
"He will be all right, child," she told Star. "And, I think, you will, too." Storm said, stroking Star's forehead. "Rest now." She turned the psi-dampener back on, continuing to touch Star until the girl, exhausted, finally fell asleep. Beast moved Wolverine and Xavier onto beds, where they could recover more easily from Star's draining powers.  
  
"Ororo, will you look after our patients for a few minutes?"  
  
"Of course, Henry." Beast opened the door to the med lab and spoke to Jubilee.  
  
"Where are Jean and Scott?"  
  
"They went shopping first thing this morning. Gambit and Rogue are baby-sittin' those cops. Star okay?" she looked at his blood stained operating gown nervously.  
  
"Its going to take her a long time to recover from this, Jubilee."  
  
"Where's Wolvie?" she asked, peering past him. Her eyes widened as she saw his motionless figure on a bed in the lab. "And the Professor! What gives?"  
  
"We had some ... difficulties with Star's anesthetic. They are both fine. You may go in, but don't disturb any of them." Jubilee went in. Storm was checking on Professor Xavier. Jubilee made a bee line for Wolverine. Beast smiled at her, then, closing the door behind him as he went out, his face assumed a far grimmer expression. He found the image inducer in his pocket under the gown. He thumbed the switch, then turned toward Xavier's study, where Gambit and Rogue had undoubtedly 'escorted' the police.  
  
  
  
Beast slammed open the door to the study and stood there, glaring at the police officers who had scrambled to their feet. Gambit lounged on the edge of the desk, endlessly shuffling his ever present desk of cards. Rogue stood near the window, her arms crossed. Both managed to look dangerous without any overt threat.  
  
"You come into our home, professing public safety. You demand to physically inspect a minor child, even after being told she was in critical condition. You then proceed to terrify the child and aggravate her injuries to the point that her life is threatened. You've had a very productive morning. Is there anything else we can do for you on your way out?" Beast snarled. Wilson stepped forward,  
  
"Doctor, I offer my sincerest apologies for Officer Jones behavior. I assure you he will face a disciplinary hearing in this matter."  
  
"How is that going to help Star?" Wilson dropped her eyes and gestured for Jones and the young officer to follow her through the door. Rogue saw to it that they found their way to the door, then watched as they entered their patrol car and drove away.  
  
"De petite, she gon' be okay?" Gambit asked when Rogue returned.  
  
"She's alive, Gambit. But I don't know if she will ever be 'okay'." He returned to the med lab, to wait.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jean and Scott returned as the police were leaving. They left the car in front of the mansion and hurried inside. They went straight to the med lab.  
  
"Hank, what happened?!" Scott asked as Jean turned to Xavier.  
  
"Long story, Scott. I'll fill you in later."  
  
"The Professor is exhausted, Henry, but I don't find any permanent damage," Jean told Beast. Jubilee sat in a chair next to Wolverine, her arms crossed, glowering at the other X-Men. Wolverine was her friend, but no one seemed to be concerned as to his condition. Jean smiled at her.  
  
"He's my friend, too, Jubilee." She gently place her hand on Wolverine's forehead. "He's sleeping, dear. He'll be waking up soon. Will you stay with him?"  
  
"Well, of course." Jubilee answered indignantly. "Like I'd take off and go play jacks or somethin'. Sheesh."  
  
Storm took the warming blanket Scott brought from a cabinet and gently spread it over Star's motionless form while Beast checked the IV flow and the scanners. Jean moved next to Scott, who put his arm around her.  
  
"How is she Henry?"  
  
"I've seen worse, Jean. But they usually arrived in a body bag." He looked down at the young woman, her face as pale as the sheets surrounding her. "I'm afraid to even move her to a regular bed." He shook his head. "If this sort of thing keeps up, I'm going to install a zipper in her." Scott looked up at him, startled. There was just a ghost of a smile around the doctor's worried eyes. "She'll be all right if we can just give her the time she needs to heal."  
  
  
  
The next morning there was a knock at the door. Jubilee opened it and stood glaring at the policeman outside.  
  
"What do you want?" she demanded, one fist planted on her hip.  
  
"Jubilee. Please remember your manners."  
  
"But Jean, this is one o' the guys..."  
  
"I know who he is. That does not excuse rudeness." She stepped into the open doorway. "What can I do for you, officer?" she asked coldly.  
  
"Its Joshua Cowen, ma'am, and I'm not here officially. I just thought that you folks should know what was going on with your case. And I ... I wanted to check on the girl. Is she okay?"  
  
"Please come in, Mr. Cowen." Jean directed the officer to the living room. She indicated the couch, then had a seat on a chair across from him. Jubilee stayed in the background, glaring. Jean looked at the officer expectantly.  
  
"Jones resigned," he said without preamble. "They were going to convene a disciplinary hearing and would probably have relieved him anyway." Jean waited. "Look, I just had to make sure she was going to be all right, okay?"  
  
"She hasn't regained consciousness since the surgery. Our doctor isn't sure she ever will." Jean told him, shortly.  
  
"I'm sorry. I knew Jones was a member of the Friends of Humanity, but I didn't realize how deeply he hated mutants. I didn't think he would actually do anything to hurt her. After all, he's ... he was a police officer. We're supposed to help people, and its not supposed to matter whether they're mutants or not." He stood up. "I apologize for disturbing you, ma'am." Jean stood and escorted him to the door.  
  
"I will keep you informed if Star's condition changes."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
He went down the steps and got into his car. Jean watched as he drove away.  
  
  
Jubilee was nowhere in sight when Jean closed the door, but she could sense her in the med lab. Jean quietly opened the door and went in. Beast looked up from his microscope and nodded to her. Star remained in the center of the large room, IV tubes and sensor wires running to and from her body. Jubilee stood next to the bed, looking down at her motionless friend. Jean put an arm around her.  
  
"A month ago she couldn't read or even dress herself, but last week she was helping me with algebra. Now look at her. I know she can't hear me, so I tried to hold her hand. She's so cold its like she's already dead, an' we just haven't noticed."  
  
"Things will work out, Jubilee. Henry says she's in hibernation and that if we give her enough time, she may be just fine."  
  
"What if she's not?"  
  
"We will deal with that when the time comes. Come on, now. Come back and visit her later. You know how much she hates it when someone is upset."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
For the next three weeks Star had almost constant companionship. Jubilee stayed with her for at least part of every day, doing her algebra 'homework' at a small table she pulled up next to the bed to which Beast had finally been able to move Star. Wolverine visited every day, sometimes staying for hours. Even Gambit stayed by her, whenever he found her alone. On the twenty third day, Jubilee finished her assignment and closed her book. She took Star's hand, to say good-bye for the day.  
  
"Thanks, Star. Math's always easier when you're around." She squeezed her hand gently and was startled to have the pressure returned. She stared at Star for a moment, then squeezed her hand again. Star squeezed back, weak but definite.  
  
"Beast!" Jubilee shouted.  
  
"What is it, Jubilee?" the doctor responded instantly.  
  
"I think she's wakin' up!" Beast took Star's other hand. Star turned her head slowly toward him and opened her eyes. She stared up at him, unable to see him.  
  
"Jubilee, go get the Professor and Jean. I want to turn this field off as quickly as possible."  
  
"Gotcha." Jubilee dashed out of the med lab. A few minutes later Xavier entered, followed shortly by Jean and Scott. Xavier took Star's hand from Beast, while Jean moved to the other side of the bed. Beast went to the control panel for the psi-dampener.  
  
"Henry, expand the field until Jean and I are included within it." Beast nodded and adjusted the dials. As the field extended outwards, Star suddenly focused on the Professor.  
  
"Professor," she whispered, her voice harsh.  
  
"Welcome back Star. We've been worried about you."  
  
"You can turn it off, Hank. She doesn't need it, or us, right now." Jean said. Star turned to her.  
  
"Thought ... Jubilee ... here."  
  
"She was, sweetheart. She went to tell Wolverine and the others that you were awake. We've all missed you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"What kinda question that, Chere?" Gambit said as he and Rogue entered, Wolverine and Jubilee close behind.  
  
"C'mon, sugah. You're part o' the family now." Rogue added.  
  
"Only family most of us got, kid" Wolverine said as he moved to her side. "Families take care of each other."  
  
"All right," Beast said suddenly, "Everybody out, Star needs to rest." Reluctantly, the X-Men left the med lab, Xavier and Wolverine remained.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Star?"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Your powers were a great deal stronger than they had been. I was ... unprepared."  
  
"Did I hurt you?"  
  
"No, dear. I am fine."  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Look, kid, will you just worry about yourself for once?"  
  
"Gentlemen, if you please." Beast motioned toward the door. Xavier turned and went out.  
  
"I'll come visit ya in the mornin', darlin'." Wolverine patted her hand and left.  
  
"Well, Star, we'll set up the field the same as before, but this time, no rude strangers are going to bother you." He adjusted the settings on the equipment then turned back to Star.  
  
"Try to rest. You are very weak." He adjusted her blanket. "If you need anything, either Storm or I will be here, all you have to do is call out." He smiled at her, then moved away from her bed, out of the area of the field. She sighed and closed her eyes. Beast was right, she was very weak. Talking to Xavier and Wolverine for the few minutes they stayed had exhausted her. Soon, she slept.  
  
  
  
Star slept for much of the next several days, waking only when Beast or Storm wanted her to eat, or when Wolverine or Jubilee came to visit. Beast limited them to five minutes at a time, not wanting to tire her. On the fourth day, they got her out of bed and Beast carried her down the hall to the porch outside. She sat in the sunshine for over an hour, enjoying the warmth. She gradually became aware of a commotion to the side of the mansion. She had learned that the others disliked being listened to, so she carefully got to her feet and, leaning on the building for support she suddenly found necessary, she tottered to the corner and peered around. Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, and Wolverine were apparently arguing over a large round object. Their emotions were confusing, aggressive, but not hostile. Jubilee had the round thing. She bounced it once and Gambit snatched it from under her hands. Star was staggered by the flash of dismay and outrage from Jubilee. Without thinking, she reached out with her mind and took the object from Gambit. It bounced twice before returning to Jubilee's hands. The sudden effort exhausted Star's meager reserves. She leaned her back against the wall, away from the others. Her legs refused to support her and she slid down until she was sitting on the deck. She could still hear the others, but only faintly. They were trying to figure out what had happened.  
  
"Hey, Jean!" Jubilee called. "Thanks for the assist!" Jean came to the window.  
  
"What assist, Jubilee?"  
  
"Didn't you just recover the ball for me?"  
  
"Of course not. That wouldn't be fair."  
  
Ball? Star thought. Then this was a game, and she had broken the rules. She hoped they wouldn't be too angry. She tried to get up, but lacked the energy.  
  
"Well, if you didn't, who did? The Professor?"  
  
"I doubt it. He's in the ready room, working on one of his projects."  
  
"I'm sorry, Jubilee." Star sent faintly, "I didn't know it was a game."  
  
"Star?"  
  
"Where are ya, kid?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"On the deck. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interfere."  
  
"Forget it, darlin'" he said as he came toward her. He rounded the corner.  
  
"What are ya doin' down there?" he asked as he crouched beside her.  
  
"I ... got tired."  
  
"Uh huh," he responded. "Can ya get up?" Reluctantly, she shook her head.  
  
"Let's get ya inside," he said, lifting her effortlessly in his arms.  
  
"Can't I watch?" she asked, almost pleading. "Just for a few minutes?" He looked at her, then said  
  
"All right. But only for a few minutes, then we get ya back ta bed." She nodded.  
  
"I get a chair, petite." Gambit said, crossing the deck to the lounge chairs. He chose one and brought it around to the side of the house, where the basketball goal was set up. Wolverine carefully lowered her into it.  
  
"I'm not made of glass." Wolverine glanced at the cage like cast still surrounding her left arm.  
  
"Coulda fooled me, kid." She flushed, but leaned gratefully into the support of the chair.  
  
"What is the game?"  
  
"Its basketball," Jubilee answered.  
  
"The idea, sugah, is to score points by puttin' the ball into that hoop, while keepin' the other team from scorin' points." Rogue told her, taking the ball from Jubilee. "There are lots more rules, o' course, but that's the basics." Star nodded.  
  
The foursome returned to their game, while Star watched, fascinated. She enjoyed being with the others. She had been isolated her entire life and her recent status as an invalid had reminded her forcefully of a loneliness she hadn't even been aware of until coming here. These people actually cared about her, considered her part of their family.  
  
Jean came out of the house and moved to stand next to Star.  
  
"Henry thinks you should come in now." Star nodded and struggled to her feet, accepting Jean's help without hesitation.  
  
"Hey, Star!" Jubilee shouted, "When yer feelin' up to it, we'll teach ya how ta play!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Jean helped Star back to the med lab, where Beast put her back to bed.  
  
"We'll move you back to your room in a couple of days," he told her. "Tomorrow we'll look at that arm and see if the cast is ready to come off."  
  
"All right."  
  
"You get some sleep now. I hadn't intended to let you up for so long, you know, but you did seem to be enjoying the game." She smiled up at him. He squeezed her hand and moved away from her bed. Surrounded by the silver sheen of the psi-dampening field, Star quickly fell asleep.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Beast and Storm helped her move to the scanner which would read the progress of her healing bones.  
  
"Be still, now." Beast told her, then laughed. "As if you have to be told to be still. I swear, if the lights were connected to a motion detector, they wouldn't stay on for you." She smiled at him. He turned the scanner on and it hummed quietly for a few seconds. Beast looked at the screen and his smile faded.  
  
"'Roro, come take a look at this." Storm looked at the screen and frowned.  
  
"Is the reading correct?"  
  
"Let me check the machine. Star, it'll be just another minute. I need to double check our readings." She sensed a growing concern in both X-Men as they re calibrated the machine and took another reading, with apparently the same results.  
  
"What's wrong?" she finally asked them.  
  
"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, Star," he turned the screen so she could see it. The frame of the cast was clearly visible, as was the bone within a ghostly outline of her arm. He pointed to the screen.  
  
"There isn't any delineation between the bones in your arm and the metal screws we used to attach the support. You seem to have, um, absorbed the material directly. 'Roro, help me shift the scanner, I want to see how far this has spread." Star sat quietly, wide eyed, as they adjusted the scanner to include her shoulder and the left side of her chest. The scanner hummed once more.  
  
"The only bones affected are the ones directly attached to the metal. At least so far." He scratched his chin, then said "I think, perhaps, we should removed the cast. I don't see any evidence of the original breaks anyway."  
  
"How?" Ororo asked him.  
  
"Good question. Call Charles, perhaps he will have an idea."  
  
Xavier entered the lab a few minutes later.  
  
"Interesting," he murmured. "This looks almost like Logan's X-rays, although the material isn't as dense. but then, surgical steel isn't as dense as adamantium."  
  
"You see the problem, Charles. The metal is fused to the bone, creating a solid link with the cast. There seems to be no way of removing it without actually cutting it free."  
  
"How has the integrity of the cast itself been affected?"  
  
"The entire structure is honeycombed."  
  
"Which should make it easier to remove."  
  
"Yes. Except, of course, that metal conducts heat very well. If we use a torch, we risk damage to the surrounding tissue."  
  
"Perhaps an acid solution would be the answer. If we coated the flesh with..."  
  
"Gentlemen," Ororo interrupted them. "If I might remind you, this 'interesting case' is attached to a young woman who is present, and whom you are currently frightening half to death." Star was watching them, her face expressionless.  
  
"My apologies, Star. I do tend to get wrapped up in things and forget that a patient is involved." Beast told her.  
  
"I apologize as well, dear. Your shielding has improved to the point that you have no 'presence' at all."  
  
"Perhaps you should spend more time with Jubilee. She never lets anyone forget she is in the room." Storm added with a smile. Star smiled back.  
  
"Or maybe Jubilee should spend more time with Star."  
  
"Star, we are going to try to dissolve the cast at the attachment points. We will take precautions to protect your skin. There will be nubs of metal remaining, but it looks as if your body will probably absorb that material as well. If not, well, we will deal with the problem later, all right?"  
  
"All right." They coated her arm with an inhibiting agent, then dissolved the cast attachment spines with an acid solution, leaving a small nub of metal above her skin at each point.  
  
"There, now." Beast said as he slid the remainder of the cast off her arm. "How does that feel?" Star flexed her arm experimentally.  
  
"A little stiff. And it ... itches."  
  
"The itch is just the tissue healing. Perfectly normal. As for the stiffness, I will give you some exercises which should help. How are you feeling otherwise?"  
  
"Tired."  
  
"Not surprising. I want you to stay off your feet as much as possible for a few more days. Your incisions have completely closed, but the tissue is still healing." He smiled, "If you promise not to take any more sudden falls, I'll let you go back to your own room tomorrow." She smiled at him again. "Now, go lie down. Is there anything I can bring you?"  
  
"I was looking through your Advanced Physics Text. Could I borrow it again?"  
  
"Of course. A little 'light reading'. I'll bring it to you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
  



	7. Insomnia and Suicide

The next morning Beast allowed Star to move back into her room. The metal nodules protruding above the skin of her arm were noticeably smaller, and the skin had begun to close over them. Beast shook his head over a healing process which he had not even begun to understand. She was able to spend longer periods out of bed, but it was several weeks before she felt able to join Jubilee for her promised basketball lesson. Storm had provided her with a book on the rules for the game, so she understood the fundamentals. Once more Jubilee, Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine gathered on the make shift basketball court. Storm had agreed to join them to make the teams even.  
  
"All right, you guys," Jubilee said, bouncing the ball energetically. "No powers, now. We got a newbie." No one noticed the sudden look of apprehension that crossed Star's face. It was quickly replaced by an expression of stubborn determination. "Okay, Wolvie, you Rogue, an' Star are one team, Me, Storm, an' Gambit are the other. Everybody ready? Then let's go!" Jubilee passed the ball to Gambit, who whirled and fired it toward the goal. Rogue intercepted the ball before it could drop through the basket. She passed it to Wolverine, who turned to Star. She was standing motionless on the center of the concrete playing area. He hesitated, and Jubilee snatched the ball away from him. He didn't follow and she successfully sank it into the basket. Gambit snatched the ball and passed it to Storm. She bounced the ball several times, keeping her back to Rogue. She suddenly passed the ball to Jubilee, who started to dash past Star when, with a burst of speed, Star took the ball from her, whirled and threw it at the basket. She missed, but Wolverine recovered the rebound and sank the ball. Storm caught the ball as it dropped through. She started to pass it to Gambit, but Wolverine grabbed the ball and said,  
  
"Wait a sec, Storm." Star was again motionless.  
  
"What gives, Wolvie?" Jubilee demanded. Wolverine looked at Star,  
  
"Ya said 'no powers', right."  
  
"Well, yeah. I mean, if we used powers, the game could get messy."  
  
"Take a look at the kid." The others noticed her posture, her expression of concentration.  
  
"Omigosh! Without her powers..."  
  
"She can't see or hear." Wolverine bounced the ball and Star turned her head toward him. "I wanna try something." He bounced the ball again, then bounced it toward Star. She caught the ball, whirled and launched it toward the goal. This time, the ball went through. She froze again, waiting, tracking the position of the ball with tiny motions of her head as it bounced, ignored by the others. Wolverine took her arm and she snapped her head toward him. He shook her gently and she focused on him abruptly.  
  
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked as she realized they were all looking at her.  
  
"Not a thing, darlin'." Wolverine told her. "When Jubilee said 'no powers', she didn't mean for ya to exclude yer sight and hearin'."  
  
"Yeah, it just means stuff like no flying. Otherwise, it'd be a short game for us ground bound types."  
  
"Ya wanna start again?"  
  
"All right." They played for about an hour, with the score staying fairly even throughout. Finally, they agreed to a draw and put the ball away.  
  
  
  
Late that evening, Wolverine found Star in the Library. He pulled a chair up next to her and sat down.  
  
"Hey, kid."  
  
"Hello, Wolverine."  
  
"Wanted ta talk to ya 'bout that bit with the basketball." She looked up at him, waiting.  
  
"Ya did real good, 'specially fer havin' yer powers shut off. D'ya have any idea how ya did it?"  
  
"I could feel the vibrations the ball made when it bounced and when you and the others moved."  
  
"Any problems with it?"  
  
"I couldn't always tell who was moving where. And when I moved, it got more confusing."  
  
"How'd ya know it was Jubilee when ya grabbed the ball."  
  
"I could smell her perfume."  
  
"That's about what I thought. Tell ya what, we'll set up a program in the danger room ta let ya practice. Might come in handy someday."  
  
"All right."  
  
"G'night, kid."  
  
"Good night."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
True to his word, Wolverine set up the danger room for Star. She practiced both with and without the use of her powers. Sometimes the other X-Men were her opponents, sometimes the robots. The live people, she quickly discovered, were harder to fight, but easier to sense, than the machines. She enjoyed every minute of it. She still could not control her power to drain others when she was asleep or unconscious, so the psi-dampener remained in operation. She hated it. When she was within the field the constant murmur of the others' minds was absent and she was alone. She started having nightmares and, although she could never remember them once she awakened, she began to dread going to sleep. One night she woke clutching her blanket and drenched with sweat, her heart beating wildly. She knew she would be unable to get back to sleep, so she slipped quietly out of her room and down to the library. She choose a book and tried to read, but she couldn't concentrate. Finally, she gave up and put the book away. Then it occurred to her that many of the others used the danger room to work off tension or anxiety, so she went downstairs and opened the door. She set up a fight sequence and triggered the computer. She'd been fighting furiously for about fifteen minutes when suddenly everything froze.  
  
"What you doin', Chere?" Gambit asked angrily.  
  
"What?" she replied, confused and frightened by his anger.  
  
"You tryin' ta get you self killed?"  
  
"No,... I just...I couldn't sleep. I thought..."  
  
"You not supposed to be in here, petite. Fact, this stuff shouldn't even work for you."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because, mon enfante, it too easy ta get hurt in here. De Professor, he respons'ble fo' you. You get hurt again, he get in trouble. Mebbe dey take you away from here, an' dat'd break de Professor's heart. He be real unhappy when I tell him you been in here."  
  
"Please don't tell him."  
  
"You promise ta stay outta here wit'out one o' us?"  
  
"Yes." Gambit looked at her speculatively for a moment.  
  
"Okay, petite. Gambit keep quiet dis time." He suddenly grinned at her. "Fo' a price."  
  
"I will pay your price." Her reply startled him. He was used to sparring with Jubilee, who didn't trust anyone, except maybe Wolverine, as far as she could throw them.  
  
"You should ask de price befo' agreein' ta pay, Chere," he told her seriously.  
  
"I don't have any money, but I understand that sometimes a woman can offer her body instead."  
  
Gambit was dumbfounded. He stared at her, his mouth open. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't think of anything to say. She stepped up to him, reached up and put her arms around his neck. Instinctively his arms closed around her, his hands on her back. Almost against his will he bent his head until their lips met. She was unskilled but willing, even eager. As the kiss progressed his arms tightened, pulling her against him. She caressed the back of his neck with one hand, pressing her body firmly against his. After an eternity their lips parted. She looked up at him expectantly. He knew he could have her, here and now.  
  
"Chere," he whispered raggedly, "if you only a little older." Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on her. He looked down at her, "An' maybe a little bigger." He released her. "A man don' like havin' to worry 'bout breakin' his woman when he touch her."  
  
"I don't understand. Don't you want me?"  
  
"Gambit done a lot of t'ings in his life dat he ain't proud of, Chere, but I ain't never had a woman 'gainst her will, and I ain't never, never touch a chil'."  
  
"But..."  
  
"But nut'n, petite. I take you kiss fo' pay. Now, get outta here," he took her by the arm and herded her to the door. He opened it and pushed her through. The door closed between them. "Fo' I change my mind," he muttered to himself, leaning on the door.  
  
  
  
Star returned to her room, confused. Gambit had wanted her. She'd felt his surprise when she moved into his arms, felt his desire flare as he'd held her, kissed her. Then he'd pushed her away and she didn't understand why. Mostly because neither did he. After a long time she dozed off and slept the rest of the night without dreaming.  
  
  
  
For the next several days Gambit had a tendency to avoid her, which further confused her. She'd made an offer which he had refused. Did that mean they could no longer be friends? She wanted to ask someone, but she realized that no one seemed willing to discuss the subject of sex, so she kept quiet. The nightmares grew worse. She was hardly sleeping at all and it was beginning to be reflected in her performance both in her technical schooling and in the danger room.  
  
  
  
"Look out, kid!" Wolverine shouted, as the danger room Sentinel smashed its hand downward toward Star. She turned and tried to deflect the robot's attack. She was only partially successful and the huge hand slapped her, knocking her into a nearby wall. In the control room, Rogue slapped the cancel switch.  
  
"You all right, gal?" she asked as Wolverine helped Star to her feet. Star looked up at the control room and nodded.  
  
"What happened, kid? You've never let anything get that close."  
  
"I don't know, Wolverine. I just didn't see it."  
  
"How can you not see somethin' the size of building?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Darlin', you gotta be aware of ever'thin' around ya, not just the stuff out 'n front."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry don't make ya any less dead, kid." He turned and looked up at Rogue and Gambit in the control room. "Let's try it again, folks."  
  
"You got it, Wolverine. Ready, Star?" Star nodded and Rogue restarted the program. The Sentinel stirred to life. Star stood motionless, making no move either to attack or defend herself. Wolverine slashed at the leg closest to his position, ripping through the armor. The Sentinel moved as if to crush him but suddenly froze. Star still hadn't moved. Wolverine broke off his attack and looked up at the control booth. Rogue shrugged.  
  
"Dis t'ing workin', Chere?" Gambit asked from beside her.  
  
"Yeah. Take a look at the power demand. Its almost off the scale."  
  
"An' goin' up," he flipped the microphone switch. "Take cover, mes amies! De Sentinel gonna blow!" The warning barely spoken, the Sentinel exploded. The concussion smashed the supposedly shatterproof glass of the control room, throwing Gambit and Rogue away from the control panel. Wolverine was hurled away from the Sentinel. All three landed gently, the shower of falling debris deflected away from them. They picked themselves up, to find Star, still motionless, in the center of the devastated danger room, bits of Sentinel still raining down around her. Rogue shut the program down shakily. Wolverine cautiously approached Star. She didn't respond until he touched her arm, then she jerked her head toward him as if startled. Her shoulders slumped.  
  
"I screwed up again, didn't I?"  
  
"Not exactly," Wolverine told her. "What happened?"  
  
"I was trying to pay attention to everything and I got overloaded. I think I started a feed back loop in the Sentinel. It blew up, didn't it?"  
  
"You could say dat, Chere," Gambit said from the control booth, not needing the microphone now that the glass was missing.  
  
"Oh! Are you all right? Did I hurt anyone?"  
  
"We all fine, petite."  
  
"You cushioned us, darlin'. Kept most o' the blast off us." She nodded then closed her eyes for a moment. She swayed and Wolverine put an arm around her to steady her. She leaned into his embrace, both hands on his chest, her forehead resting against the hollow of his throat. He held her, gently, then released her when she moved away from him. She made her way carefully through the remains of the Sentinel to the door. She opened it and went out, without a word or backwards glance. Wolverine watched her thoughtfully.  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Yeah, Rogue?"  
  
"If you'll clear outta there, I'll put the reconstruction on auto."  
  
"Right." He followed Star out the door. She was no where in sight.  
  
"Ya know, Remy, if I didn't know better, I'd say Wolverine just noticed that Star's a gal."  
  
"I t'ink you right, Chere."  
  
"I wonder if she's noticed?"  
  
"Oh, she notice, all right. She notice."  
  
  
  
Star slept very little that night. The nightmares were worse than ever, mixing the terror of being alone with the fear of killing her friends. She woke suddenly, a scream barely suppressed, with an image of the shattered danger room, Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue's motionless bodies lying like broken toys, vivid in her mind. She sat on the bed, her knees drawn up, staring at the silver walls of the psi dampening field. She dared not turn it off lest she wake Jean or the Professor. She had not learned to control her abilities, but her room had begun to resemble the cage where she had spent most of her life.  
  
  
  
The next morning Star was groggy with exhaustion. The destruction of the Sentinel had taken a large toll on her remaining strength and she had been unable to restore herself through sleep. She stumbled over her own feet and nearly fell headlong down the stairs. Jubilee caught her arm.  
  
"Hey! You all right?" Star nodded.  
  
"Yes. Thanks, Jubilee."  
  
"No problemo." Jubilee looked at her sharply, "You sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes. I'm just tired."  
  
"Well, hey, everybody needs a day off. I'll tell the Prof you need a break an' you go back to bed. Catch a few Z's. Sound good?"  
  
"I'll give it a try. Thanks." Star stumbled back to her room, closing the door behind her. Jubilee watched her for a moment, worried about her friend, then went down the stairs.  
  
  
  
Star switched the psi-dampening field back on and lay down on top of her blankets, sure that she would be unable to sleep, but trying desperately to rest none the less. Before she knew it, sleep had overtaken her, bringing with it the nightmares.  
  
  
  
Jubilee found she had the kitchen to herself, so she switched on the coffee maker, got a bowl and a box of cereal out of the cabinet, and fixed herself a cold breakfast. The coffee was just finishing when Wolverine came in.  
  
"How 'bout some B-ball later?" she asked him.  
  
"You got entirely too much energy for this early in the mornin'," he answered, pouring himself a cup of coffee.  
  
"Its all the sugar in this cereal."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Ya want some?"  
  
"I'll pass." He took a swallow of his coffee. "Where's yer partner?"  
  
"Star? She's sleepin' in. Nearly took a header down the stairs and really looked beat. I told her I'd square it with the Prof, so she went back to bed." Jubilee grinned at him, "After the way you guys trashed the danger room yesterday, it probably won't be ready today, so how about that B-ball game?" Before Wolverine could answer, they were startled by a scream from upstairs.  
  
"That's Star!" Jubilee knocked her chair over getting to her feet. Wolverine took the stairs two at a time, Jubilee running behind him.  
  
  
  
Star was sitting huddled on her bed when Wolverine burst into the room, her face was streaked with tears. She looked up at him, startled.  
  
"You all right?" She nodded, then buried her face in her arms, sobbing. He moved quickly to the bed and took her in his arms, holding her tightly.  
  
"Its okay, darlin'. Ever'thin's gonna be fine." He spoke softly to her. Jubilee hovered nearby. When her sobs had eased, he relaxed his hold, but she continued to cling to him.  
  
"What happened?" Jubilee finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity, or her concern, any longer.  
  
"Bad d d dreams," Star answered shakily.  
  
"Major bummer," Jubilee said. "I've had my share of nightmares, too." She sat down on the other side of Star, who had finally released her desperate grasp on Wolverine. "Sometimes it helps to talk about it." Star looked at her uncertainly for a moment, then nodded.  
  
"Its dark, and I'm all alone," she began. "Just like the first time I lost control."  
  
"In the courthouse?"  
  
"No. In the lab. I ... I killed all the technicians and guards. Everyone in range. I couldn't stop it. When the others found out, they came in and took all the ... the bodies away, then the Doctor locked the door and left me there. All alone." She shuddered.  
  
"Oh, wow," was all Jubilee could say.  
  
"I'd never been alone. Not ever. There was always somebody close enough for me to hear them, at least enough to know that somebody was there. They stayed away for a long, long time. Then they put something different in my food and my body stopped ... changing. Henry said I was on some sort of artificial hormones, or something. Any way, they came back, and I didn't kill anybody else. But in my dreams, I'm alone again. I can't hear anyone, because everybody's dead. Because I killed you. All of you!"  
  
"Easy, darlin'," Wolverine said, pulling her close once more, her tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt. "How long ya been havin' this dream, kid?"  
  
"I don't know. It seems like forever."  
  
"Well, fer ..." Jubilee exclaimed. "Why didn't ya say something?" Star didn't answer. "Star, that's what bein' friends is all about. Helpin' each other."  
  
"You've had the same dream every night?"  
  
"N..no," Star said slowly. "Only when I sleep."  
  
"Haven't been sleepin' much, have ya?" Star shook her head.  
  
Jean knocked on the open door.  
  
"Can I come in?" Star nodded. "I thought I heard someone cry out, but I couldn't sense anyone in distress. I finally realized it must be you, Star. Are you all right?"  
  
"Just a bad dream." Jubilee stared at her.   
  
"'Just a bad dream'? The same major bad dream for a long time, and you call it 'just a bad dream'?"  
  
"Jubilee..." Jean said softly.  
  
"I didn't want to be any more trouble."  
  
"We're kids. We're supposed to be trouble."  
  
"I don't feel much like a kid." Jubilee didn't answer.  
  
"Star, we've deliberately put off testing your control of your abilities because we thought you were doing so well with the dampening field at night," Jean told her gently. "Honey, we can't help you if don't tell us you're having problems. Your shields are so strong now, that half the time I can't even tell you're in the room." She took Star's hand and the girl flinched. "You are exhausted, Star. How long can you continue without sleep?"  
  
"But...the only way to tell is...I mean...who? Whose life do I risk just so I can sleep?" she said miserably.  
  
"There won't be any risk. We will take precautions so no one can be injured." Star looked up at Jean, then turned to Wolverine as if for reassurance.  
  
"We gotta try somethin', kid." Reluctantly, Star nodded.  
  
  
  
At the entrance to the med lab Star paused for a moment, then, straightening her shoulders, she stepped inside. Jean smiled at her, then walked over to where Beast and the Professor were bent over the test results from some experiment or other. She explained the situation to them quickly. Star waited quietly while Wolverine watched her, his concern plain.  
  
"What do you propose, Jean?" Beast asked. Jean turned to Star and took her hand.  
  
"Star, I want you to lie down on the bed. Henry will erect the field around us. Then I want you to go to sleep. I'll stay beside you and..."  
  
"No, Jeanne." Jean and Star both looked at Wolverine, surprised.  
  
"Logan, I can protect myself."  
  
"Yer sure about that, are ya?"  
  
"Perhaps Wolverine is right, Jean." Professor Xavier put in. "In spite of the progress you have made through the years, I am still stronger than you. I will..."  
  
"Not you either, Chuck," Wolverine interrupted. "Not after what happened last time."  
  
"I underestimated Star's strength then, Logan. I will not make the same mistake again."  
  
"Yeah? And how much stronger is she now than she was then? Star, darlin', do ya trust me?" She looked at him, wide eyed, for a moment, then nodded. "Ya already know that if ya slip I can handle it, prob'ly better 'n anybody else. So I'm yer guinea pig, all right kid?" Star nodded again, reluctantly.  
  
"Assuming you don't have any, um, difficulties with Logan's presence, Henry can slowly expand the field to include myself and then the Professor. If all goes well, Henry will shut the field down." Star cringed.  
  
"Fear not, dear child. I will prepare a timer to switch it back on after a few moments." Beast said, trying to reassure Star. Her expression didn't change. "Well, let's connect a couple of sensors, then we can get started." Star sat on the edge of the bed while Beast placed sensors on her temples and chest.  
  
"These monitor your brain waves, so we can tell which level of sleep you are entering, while these show your heart and respiration rates." He glanced at the monitor, "Both of which are high right now. Just relax. We'll take care of everything." She plainly doubted his ability to do so.  
  
"All right, let us begin." Beast switched the field on, adjusting it until it surrounded the bed. Star looked up at Wolverine, her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"I don't want to do this. Please don't make me." He gathered her in his arms and held her close.  
  
"Nobody's gonna make ya do nothin', kid," he told her softly, "But we gotta know if we can leave the field off. Ya can't keep goin' without sleep."  
  
"I read of different medications that..." Henry shook his head.  
  
"I can't authorize any chemical treatment except as a last resort. Its too dangerous."  
  
"Hank says no, darlin'."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Its up ta you, Star. What ever you decide, I'll back ya up."  
  
"What if I can't..."  
  
"Jean'll wake ya up, an' I'll be fine after a short snooze."  
  
"I'm so afraid. You've all been so good to me."  
  
"We'll get through this, babe, just like the X-Men do ever'thin' else. Together." She looked up at him for a long moment.  
  
"All right," she said at last.  
  
"Just relax, now. Ol' Wolverine's got ya, darlin'. I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya." He continued to hold her until, finally, exhaustion overcame her fear and she fell asleep in his arms.  
  
"Her Alpha waves indicate she is asleep, Wolverine. Any adverse affects?" Beast asked quietly. Wolverine shook his head, then gently lowered the sleeping girl to the bed.  
  
"Ready, Jean? Are your shields in place?"  
  
"Yes, Henry. Don't worry." Beast expanded the field until Jean was included in the circle. Star didn't react to her presence at all.  
  
"All right, Jean. Slowly lower your shields, let her feel you, but at the first sign of trouble, I want your shields up." They tensed when Star murmured in her sleep.  
  
"You two all right?" Jean and Wolverine nodded.  
  
"Her shields are still very strong, but I can at least sense her presence now." Jean said quietly.  
  
"Charles?"  
  
"Go ahead, Henry." Beast again expanded the field, this time including the Professor inside the circle. Star did not react.  
  
"Ready to lower your shields, Charles?" Xavier nodded. Star shifted on the bed, a faint frown forming. Beast glanced down at the readout.  
  
"Heart rate and respiration rising. Alpha rhythms disturbed. I think you're overloading..." Star screamed and Jean echoed her. Wolverine collapsed. Jean stumbled backwards through the edge of the field, then fell. Xavier tried to reach Wolverine, then he, too, cried out. Beast quickly adjusted the dampening field so that only the bed was surrounded. Star sat up, both hands to her head, her eyes wide and frightened.  
  
"You told me it would be all right, that you were ready," Star sobbed. "You were wrong, and I've hurt people again." She slipped off the bed as Beast bent over Jean. She was unconscious, but breathing. Star backed away from the bed as Beast moved to check the others. Xavier was conscious, but just barely. Wolverine wasn't breathing.  
  
"Star, call Storm. I need her help." Star froze. "Star! Do it now!" Instead of moving for the intercom or the door, Star approached Wolverine's motionless figure. She knelt beside him and placed one delicate hand on his chest. He shuddered, then drew a gasping breath. He opened his eyes. Beast stared at Star. A single tear ran down her cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, then she stood and turned for the door. Wolverine grabbed Beast's arm.  
  
"Hank, stop her!" he said urgently, too weak to rise. "Stop her!" Beast moved after her, but she was running. The med lab door opened before she reached it and slammed shut behind her. Beast couldn't get it to open again. Wolverine had gotten to his knees and was trying to stand, using the bed for support.  
  
"Gotta stop her, Hank. Gotta ... stop ... her." He collapsed again. Beast struggled with the door.  
  
  
  
Gambit was startled when Star ran past him toward the stairs.  
  
"What de hurry, petite?" he called after her. She didn't answer him as she ran up the stairs and disappeared around the corner into the hallway above. He heard a door slam upstairs, then, a moment later, the med lab door banged open.  
  
"Have you seen Star?" Beast demanded. Gambit, once again speechless, pointed to the distant stairs. Beast bounded after the girl. Gambit followed him.  
  
"What in the Sam Hill is going on?" Rogue asked as he passed the kitchen door.  
  
"Don' know, Chere. But it don' look good." Rogue joined him as he followed Beast up the stairs.  
  
  
  
Star slammed the door of her room behind her and, for the first time since coming to the mansion, locked it. She flipped on the portable psi dampener Beast had built for her and adjusted it to include part of the hallway outside the door. She heard him as he reached the top of the stairs and she psionically blocked the hallway, preventing him from reaching the door. Abruptly she heard Gambit, then Rogue, join him. She had to hurry.  
  
"Mon amie, what de trouble?"  
  
"I don't know exactly, but we have to stop Star. She's built a barrier across the hall. I'll go adjust the psi dampener in the lab so she can't reach it. You two get her door open, but be careful."  
  
"You bet, sugah." Beast bounded back down the stairs. Gambit explored the invisible barrier with his hands.  
  
"Nothin' here to charge, Chere, or I'd just blow it."  
  
  
  
Beast reached the psi dampener in the lab, adjusting the controls so the field would be just inside the walls of Star's room. He turned it on. Wolverine and Jean lay where he had last seen them, but Xavier seemed to be more aware of his surroundings.  
  
"Storm, I need you in the med lab as quickly as possible."  
  
"On my way, Henry." Storm answered immediately.  
  
  
  
Star felt a shock as the second field overlapped the first, cutting off her awareness of the hallway. She was out of time. She turned on the auto centering function of the psi dampening field, then, hesitating only a moment, she turned the locus of the field all the way down in a single motion.  
  
  
  
The barrier in the hallway abruptly disappeared, allowing Gambit and Rogue to reach the door of Star's room. They heard a cry, followed by a thud. Gambit kicked the door at the lock and it flew open. Star lay on the floor beside the bed, one hand to her head. Gambit quickly scanned the room while Rogue moved to check on Star.  
  
"The kid ain't breathin', Remy, an' I cain't find a pulse!" Rogue turned Star to her back. Star's hand fell against Rogue's bare arm, above the glove she wore to protect others from her powers. She flinched away from the contact. Gambit helped her shift Star's body to ensure a clear airway. He glanced up at Rogue and was puzzled by the odd expression she wore.   
  
"What is it, Chere?"  
  
"I touched her, Remy. An' I didn't get nothing." Gambit looked down at the motionless body with a sinking feeling. The girl's skin was turning blue.  
  
"We gotta try, Chere." He bent and blew into her mouth, her chest rising, then falling again. The memory of the kiss they had shared came to him unbidden, and he felt a surge of grief and helplessness overcome him. He suppressed it as Rogue counted while giving Star CPR. He gave the girl another breath, then Rogue counted again. Star's color was better, but she showed no sign of responding. Gambit hoped Beast would return soon.  
  
  
  
"Hank," Wolverine lifted his head, "where's the kid?"  
  
"In her room. Gambit and Rogue should be able to get the door open now."  
  
"Tell 'em ta hurry. She's gonna kill herself."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She let it slip when she linked with me. She thinks its her only way out." Beast grabbed his emergency bag and dashed out of the med lab and up the stairs to Star's room. He took in the scene at a glance, opened his bag and removed a mask with a pressure bulb on it. While Rogue counted once again, he put the mask over Star's mouth and nose, at 'five' he squeezed the bulb, forcing air into her lungs.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Don' know, mon amie. Der not a mark on her."  
  
"Go get a litter, Gambit. We've got to get her to the med lab. She's not responding and I may have to put her on life support." Gambit hurried out of the room.  
  
"May not ... do any ... good, ... Beast."  
  
"What do you mean, Rogue?"  
  
"I touched her ... an' I didn't ... absorb ... nothin'." Beast leaned back on his heels.  
  
"Oh my stars and garters. Child, what have you done? And can I figure it out in time to do you any good." He squeezed the air bulb.  
  
  
  
Gambit entered the med lab and skidded to a halt. It resembled a war zone. Cyclops lifted Jean and lay her on the bed Star had so recently occupied. She was still unconscious. Jubilee hovered near Wolverine. Storm was checking on the Professor.  
  
"Star?" Wolverine demanded gruffly.  
  
"Not good, mon amie. Beast send me fo' de litter. Say he might haf ta put her on life support."  
  
"I'll get the equipment ready." Storm told him as he got the litter. He nodded and left the med lab.  
  
  
  
"Any t'ing?" Gambit asked as he returned to Star's room. Beast shook his head.  
  
"No response. You all right, Rogue?"  
  
"Doin' ... fine ... so far."  
  
"Good. Don't stop. Gambit, set the litter up here. All right. Help me move her, on three." Beast counted as Rogue continued with the CPR, his 'three' followed her 'five'. They moved Star smoothly to the litter, he squeezed the air bulb, and Rogue resumed the CPR without missing a beat. Beast turned the litter on and it rose from the floor.  
  
"There's a platform about ankle high, Rogue. If you stand on that, you'll be able to continue as we move Star."  
  
"Okay. I'm ready." Beast guided the litter out of the room, the 'on' light of the psi dampener catching his eye as he went through the door. He squeezed the air bulb, intent on keeping the girl alive. Gambit guided the back of the litter through the door. The hover technology built into the litter made negotiating the stairs a simple matter. Soon, they entered the med lab. Storm took over the CPR from Rogue and Gambit took the air bulb from Beast. Beast quickly reconnected the sensors to the monitoring equipment. He was dismayed by what he saw. All the readings were completely flat, including Star's brain waves. But he couldn't give up.  
  
  
  
  



	8. The Cabin, the Killer, and the Snowstorm

While Beast connected the heart stimulator, Rogue helped Wolverine to his feet. She steered him to a chair. Jubilee still hovered anxiously. Professor Xavier moved his chair next to Wolverine. Storm took the air bulb from Gambit when Beast switched the machine on. Beast reached for the respirator.  
  
"What happened, Chuck?" Wolverine asked. "She was doing fine, an' then..."  
  
"When Henry warned us that she was becoming overloaded, I put my shields back up, but she tore through them like tissue paper." He shook his head, "Logan, I have never met a telepath as powerful as this child has become."  
  
"Neither have I." Jean said suddenly, from the bed where Cyclops had placed her. "Not even you, Charles."  
  
"Are you two all right?"  
  
"Yes, Hank."  
  
"Fine, now, Henry. How is Star?"  
  
"That's what I need you to tell me. I have her on full life support. She is simply not responding." Xavier moved his chair closer to the bed where Star's body lay. He placed one hand on her forehead.  
  
"I'm not sensing anything."  
  
"I was afraid of that." Beast said dejectedly.  
  
"No, you don't understand. Even when someone dies, there are residual traces of their personality, their memories. With Star, there is nothing. Nothing at all. Its almost like ..." he looked up and his eyes met Beast's. "Like I'm being blocked."  
  
"Of course, of course!" Beast said. "Gambit, the dampener in Star's room, it was on. Shut it off, quickly!" Gambit hesitated for just an instant, then bolted from the room. The dampener was on the night stand next to Star's bed. It looked for all the world like a table top radio. The knobs wouldn't turn, so Gambit snatched the cord from the outlet in the wall. The light on the unit went out. Carrying the unit with him, he returned to the med lab. Star's body was convulsing.  
  
"I've got brain waves, now. Rogue, hold her!" Rogue and Storm struggled to hold Star as her muscles contracted uncontrollably. Beast injected a sedative into the girl's arm. It had no effect.  
  
"I don't understand. It worked the last time I used it."  
  
"Try somethin' ya ain't used on her before," Wolverine suggested. "Ya said she shakes off a sedative fast as I do. Mebbe its somethin' more. Mebbe she makes herself immune to it." Beast hurriedly opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a vial. He prepared another syringe and injected Star. Her body began to relax at last, shuddering to stillness. Beast turned off the heart stimulator, her heart was beating on its own. He removed the respirator. Her vital signs were all lower than normal, but she was functioning on her own. Her eyelids flickered, then opened. Beast recognized her expression as despair.  
  
"Why?" she whispered. "Why did you stop me? It was the only way."  
  
"The only way to what, child?"  
  
"To protect you. My friends." Her eyes closed as the sedative completely took hold. She fought it. Beast, suddenly realizing their danger, quickly adjusted the controls on the lab dampener to surround her with the field. "I won't hurt anyone again. Not ... ever." She lost her battle with the medication. She slept.  
  
"I'm takin' her outta here tomorrow, Chuck."  
  
"Logan..."  
  
"I'll take her ta my place in the mountains. She'll be okay there." Wolverine pushed himself to his feet, and moved to stand by the sleeping girl, tears staining her face once more.  
  
"She wasn't ready. She tried ta tell me, but I talked her inta tryin' it anyhow." He turned to face Xavier. "We pushed her too hard. When she's ready, I'll bring her back, but not before then."  
  
"Perhaps that would be best. At least we determined she can control her power, as long as she isn't overtaxed."  
  
"Jubilee," Wolverine said, putting his arm around the youngest X-Man. "Would ya pack a bag fer Star, darlin'? You've been up there, ya know what kinda duds she'll need."  
  
"Uh, sure, Wolvie." Jubilee frowned, "Do you think you'll be gone long?"  
  
"No longer than it takes, darlin'."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning Wolverine put several suitcases in the back of his jeep, then went back into the mansion to see if Star was ready. He entered the med lab but Star's bed was empty.  
  
"Ah, Logan. Jean and Jubilee are helping Star get ready for your trip. She's still a bit groggy from the sedatives." Beast took his glasses off. "Incidentally, you were correct about her reaction to medications. Any given sedative only works once, twice at the most, and the second usage has much less effect."  
  
"How'd she do last night?"  
  
"Not very well, I'm afraid. It was necessary to sedate her."  
  
"How 'bout this mornin'?"  
  
"She is very withdrawn. She does what she is told, but doesn't initiate anything."  
  
"We let 'er down, Hank. Its gonna be a while before she trusts us again." Beast didn't reply. Wolverine spotted the smaller psi-dampener on the work bench.  
  
"Ya need that thing?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh. No, I can't say that I do. It doesn't seem to have any other applications. Doesn't work on any other mutant powers that I have tested it against. I must say Rogue was very disappointed."  
  
"Yeah, I bet she was. Mind if I take it with me?"  
  
"Not at all." Beast paused, "Do you think it will be necessary? Your cabin is very isolated."  
  
"Wasn't plannin' on usin' it. I'm gonna have the kid smash it."  
  
"Ah. Should be therapeutic. There's an empty box that should just hold it. I'll get it for you." They packed the dampener.  
  
  
  
Jean brought Star into the front room, the girl's face was expressionless.  
  
"Ya ready, darlin'?" Wolverine asked. Star just looked at him. He glanced at Jean, who shrugged slightly.  
  
"Maybe after the sedatives wear off, she'll ..."  
  
"Yeah." Professor Xavier came into the room to see them off. He took Star's hand.  
  
"Take care, child. Come back to us soon."  
  
"Hey, wait a minute!" Jubilee's shout echoed through the mansion. She dashed up a moment later. "Ya almost forgot your bracelet, Star! Ya never go anywhere without it." Star watched impassively as Jubilee fastened the string of silver bells around her wrist. She looked from the bracelet to Jubilee's hopeful face and smiled tremulously.  
  
"Thank you, Jubilee."  
  
"No problemo, Star. See ya 'round."  
  
"Good-bye." Jubilee dashed off. She felt it was beneath her dignity to let anyone see that she was worried for both her friends.  
  
"C'mon, kid. We got a long drive ahead of us." Star joined Wolverine at the door, her movements graceful and silent as always. She turned and looked back at the X-Men standing in the front room, then, without a word, went through the door. Wolverine helped her into the jeep. Beast turned to Gambit,  
  
"Remy?"  
  
"I see it, mon amie. De bracelet, it don' ring when she move. 'Les she want it to." He shook his head, "De petite, she make a good t'ief, non?"  
  
Wolverine started the jeep. Jubilee watched from an upstairs window as they drove away .  
  
"Good luck," she whispered.  
  
  
  
They arrived at the cabin late that afternoon. They hadn't exchanged more than a handful of words the entire trip. Wolverine left Star alone. He figured when she was ready, she'd start talking again.  
  
"Your room's through there, darlin'," he told her. "If ya wanna get settled in, we'll go inta town fer supper later. The place's been empty fer a while, now. We'll get supplies tomorrow." She carried the bags Jubilee had packed for her into the room Wolverine had indicated and quietly closed the door behind her. He put his kit in his room, then began to turn on the utilities to the cabin. He was adjusting the temperature on the water heater when he heard Star call him.  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Yeah, kid?"  
  
"What is that?" she pointed out the window. He looked where she indicated.  
  
"Its a raccoon."  
  
"I read about raccoons, but there weren't any pictures." She looked up at him, "Could I go look at it?"  
  
"You don't have ta ask permission, darlin', but I don't think it'll stick around. Critters up here ain't used ta people." She looked longingly out the window. He shook his head. "Go on, kid. Just move slow an' quiet, an' don't startle it. 'Coon's've got nasty teeth an' claws." She smiled up at him then quickly moved out of the room. He heard the front door of the cabin open, then close. He glanced around the room, and saw her suitcases, open and empty, on top of the dresser. He went to his room to unpack his own gear.  
  
  
  
He put his now empty bag on the top shelf of the closet, and glanced out the window. Star was sitting in the leaves, playing with the raccoon. The animal was being as gentle with her as if she had been one of its kits.  
  
When the raccoon waddled off into the woods surrounding the cabin Star looked up and saw Wolverine watching her. She smiled at him and moved toward the back door. She entered the cabin quietly.  
  
"Get washed up, darlin', an' we'll head inta town."  
  
"All right." A few minutes later they were in the jeep, driving toward the small town of Andrewsville.  
  
  
  
"Logan! Where've you been keepin' yerself?" the waitress asked as they entered the small diner on the edge of town.  
  
"Hey, Maudie. Don't get up here as often as I like, business, ya know." He turned to Star. "Maudie, I'd like ya meet a friend o' mine. Star, this is Maudie. She an' Harry own this place."  
  
"Pleased ta meet ya, Star," Maudie said, smiling. "That's an unusual name, but I must say it fits you. 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'. Bet yer folks were hippies, weren't they?" Maudie rushed on, never noticing the carefully schooled expression Star wore to cover her confusion. "What can I get for you folks?"  
  
"Harry still makin' the best chili this side o' the Mississippi?"  
  
"You bet! Let me get you a couple of bowls. You'll want a brew, of course."  
  
"'Course."  
  
"What about you, honey? What can I get for ya?"  
  
"Some water, please," Star answered hesitantly.  
  
"Sure thing. Have a seat an' I'll be back with ya in a second." It was still early, but there were a few customers in the diner. Several greeted Wolverine as he and Star took a booth toward the back. Star watched everyone carefully. She hadn't been around anyone other than X-Men since her disastrous court appearance.  
  
"Its okay, darlin'," Wolverine smiled at Star. "These are good folks." Maudie brought their meal.  
  
"How long ya staying this time?"  
  
"'Til its time ta go."  
  
"Well, I hope you an' yer lady will stop in again before ya take off."  
  
"Count on it, Maudie." Business at the diner was picking up as the evening progressed and Maudie left the two of them alone. They finished their meal and, after Wolverine paid the tab, returned to the cabin.  
  
"Get some sleep, kid."  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Don' mention it, darlin'. Now hit the sack." Star went to her room and quietly closed the door behind her. Wolverine completed the chores that needed to be done, and turned in himself.  
  
  
  
He was awakened by the smell of coffee brewing. He got up and went into the kitchen. It was empty. The doors to Star's room and the bathroom were both open. Star was gone. He'd told her she could come and go as she pleased and she had taken him at his word. He decided to take a shower. When he was finished, she had returned.  
  
They shared the coffee, speaking very little. He didn't ask where she had been, and she didn't volunteer the information. After rinsing their cups, they went into town for breakfast and supplies.  
  
They spent some time purchasing canned goods, as well as perishables, with which to restock the cabin. Wolverine also purchased boots and a heavy coat for Star. It was growing late in the year, and they could expect cold weather soon. He showed her around the town, pointing out the library as well as a small local museum. She grew more comfortable with the friendly population as the day progressed. After a while, they returned to the cabin.  
  
Their supplies safely put away, they went for a walk. The woods were filled with the sounds of nature, birds singing, insects buzzing, and, once, the call of a bull moose. Star absorbed the new sights and sounds as Wolverine answered her endless questions. It was nearly dark when they returned to the cabin once more. They prepared dinner in a companionable silence.  
  
  
  
The days passed uneventfully. Star explored the land around the cabin both with Wolverine and on her own. They went into town every few days, more to keep Star accustomed to unfamiliar minds than for any need for supplies. Occasionally, they received a chatty letter from Jubilee. Star always answered the letters at once, writing to her friend at a booth in the diner. Maudie always found time to talk to Star for a few minutes and she gradually began to respond to the older woman's genuine friendliness. Wolverine began leaving Star at the diner for an hour or so each time they went to town. Both women seemed to enjoy their time together.  
  
  
  
One afternoon, after leaving Star at the diner, Wolverine was enjoying the quiet of the small town. He noticed the dress shop at the far end of the main street and, recalling Star's almost wistful expression as she had gazed at the dresses in the window, he went in.  
  
"Hello Logan," the proprietress said happily, looking up from her sewing machine.  
  
"Hi, Mary. How's business?"  
  
"Booming. The New Year's Ball is only a couple of weeks away and all the local ladies need new dresses." She smiled at him. "What can I do for you, today?"  
  
"I was hopin'," he began uncomfortably, "that you'd have time..."  
  
"To make a dress for your lady?" She laughed. "As soon as I realized that the two of you were in town for a while, I knew you'd be by. You never could resist giving a lady something pretty. Hang on a second." Wolverine grinned as Mary went into the back room. She returned a moment later with a sketch book.  
  
"I'd almost given up on you, you know," she said, opening the book. "Here, what do you think of this one?" She showed him a sketch of a black and silver gown, off one shoulder, while long sleeved on the other side. The bodice was fitted, the skirt full and ruffled, sloping from one hip to the floor on the other side, opposite the long sleeve.  
  
"I started this sketch several weeks ago. What took you so long?" Wolverine shrugged.  
  
"Just didn't think about 'til now. I don't even know what size she wears."  
  
"That's all right. I've been watching her. I know what size to make the dress."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"I'll have it ready before Christmas. I'll get her some shoes to go with it."  
  
"Thanks, Mary. I knew I could count on you."  
  
"Any time. And, Logan?" he turned back. "Go see Dave about a tux. You can't take a girl wearing one of MY dresses to a dance wearing jeans, you know." He smiled and nodded.  
  
He shook his head as he left the dress shop. Mary knew him very well indeed. He crossed the street and was about to enter the men's clothing store when he heard Star call him.  
  
"Logan." Her voice was quiet, and entirely inside his head. She hadn't used her telepathic abilities since they had left Xavier's mansion. Something was wrong.  
  
"Three men just came into the diner. They have guns."  
  
"I'm on my way, darlin'"  
  
"Don't come in. They'll hurt someone. I'll...send them out to you." He ran toward the diner, cursing himself for having left her there.  
  
Star sat quietly in the booth at the back of the diner, watching the three men as they ordered Maudie to empty the cash register. If they took the money and left it wouldn't be necessary to do anything until they were outside, where it was less likely that innocents would be hurt. A child in the first booth began to cry and his father quickly stood, placing himself between the gunman and the frightened child.  
  
"Shut that kid up if you know what's good for you." The youngster slid under the table and into the arms of his mother. She held him tightly, shushing him. The gunman continued to point his weapon at the father while the other two urged Maudie to hurry. The child continued to cry. The man stepped forward angrily, pushing the barrel of his weapon into the father's chest. Star carefully, and noisily, dropped her pen onto the table. All three of the men swung toward her, noticing her for the first time. The father slid into the booth next to his wife, protecting her and the child with his body.  
  
"You tryin' ta get yerself shot, girl?" one of the men by the register asked. "Get over here." She eased out of the booth and stood, looking at the trio. "Get over here, now!" The man who had threatened the boy's father stepped forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her closer to the register.  
  
"Why aren't you scared?" he demanded. "I could blow your brains out right here and there isn't anything anybody can do about it." She just looked at him, her face expressionless. He slapped her, knocking her to the floor. She looked up at him, anger sparking in her silver eyes, blood running down her chin from her cut lip. He lifted his weapon, aiming it at her. Harry stepped out of the kitchen and shot the gunman with his shotgun. Maudie screamed as the two remaining thugs turned toward Harry with their weapons already firing.  
  
"No!" Star cried, her eyes blazing as she deflected the storm of metal fragments away from everyone in the diner. She stood, breathing rapidly as Maudie, Harry, and the young family cowered away from the bullets. The two gunmen turned their weapons on her as she stepped over the body of their fallen partner. She gestured and one of the men flew backwards, shattering the glass door and tumbling to the feet of Wolverine. The third man stared from Star to his useless weapon and back again. Wolverine stepped inside, tore the gun from the man's nerveless fingers and struck him with the butt of the weapon. The gunman dropped.  
  
The father, eyeing Wolverine uncertainly, pulled his wife to her feet, their child clutched tightly in her arms, and edged toward the door.  
  
"Star," Wolverine said quietly. "Its over, darlin'. Come down, girl, its over." Slowly, she unclenched her fists, and the fierce blaze faded from her eyes. She looked at Wolverine for a moment, then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. He caught her with one arm, the other hand still holding the automatic weapon he had taken from the gunman.  
  
Maudie peered cautiously over the counter as Harry got to his feet behind her.  
  
"Oh!" she cried when she saw Star, limp in Wolverine's grasp. She rushed around the end of the counter, Harry close on her heels. Outside could be heard the sound of sirens as the police approached. Harry took the gun from Wolverine and placed it carefully on the counter. Wolverine picked Star up.  
  
"She's all right, Maudie," he quickly reassured her. "She's fainted, that's all."  
  
"Are you sure? She hasn't been shot?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her because of us."  
  
"She'll be fine, Maudie." Star sighed and stirred in his arms. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Logan."  
  
"Hush, girl."  
  
"Harry, get a chair for Star," Maudie said. Harry quickly righted a chair. Wolverine gently lowered her into it and looked at her split lip while Maudie got a wet rag for him. Harry spoke with the policemen who entered the diner cautiously, stepping over the body of the gunman outside.  
  
"I killed him, Logan," Star said quietly. "I felt his chest cave in when I pushed him."  
  
"Sometimes there's no other way, kid."  
  
"I thought they would leave once they had the money, but the baby started to cry and that one," she glanced at the body of the thug Harry had shot, "was getting a real kick out of scaring everyone. I couldn't let him hurt anyone. I just couldn't."  
  
"That's why we're the good guys," he answered her, gently cleaning the blood from her face.  
  
"Excuse me," one of the policemen said. "I need to get a statement from the young lady." Star stared up at the policeman, more frightened by him than she had been by the gunmen. Wolverine stood, glaring up at the officer.  
  
"She didn't see nothin'." The policeman nervously moved back a step.  
  
"I'll have to hear that from her."  
  
"I... don't know what happened after that one hit me." Star told him quietly. "Can I go home now? Please?" The policeman closed his notebook and watched as the ambulance personnel loaded the injured gunman onto a gurney. The other two gunmen had blankets draped over their still forms.  
  
"All right, ma'am." He turned back to Harry and Maudie.  
  
"C'mon, darlin'. Let's get out of here." Wolverine helped her to her feet and, when she swayed, he simply picked her up and carried her to the jeep.  
  
"I knew that poor little girl was fragile," they heard Maudie say as they left the diner. "When she first came here, she was afraid of her own shadow."  
  
  
  
They drove back to the cabin in silence until Wolverine glanced over to find Star grinning up at him tiredly.  
  
"Fragile?" she said. "Oh, Maudie. If you only knew." He laughed and she joined him.  
  
  
  
When they arrived at the cabin, Star was able to walk inside on her own, but she sank gratefully to the couch as soon as she could. Wolverine built a fire in the fireplace and they watched the flames together, his arm around her shoulders, her head resting on his chest. Her skin was cold. After a while, she dozed. He stroked her hair, watching her sleep. He was aware of his growing feelings for this diminutive woman and knew she would be easy to love. He would have to be very careful.  
  
He watched her sleep for about an hour, then gently woke her.  
  
"Ya need ta eat somethin', girl, then get to bed." She sighed then reluctantly moved away from him. He heated some soup and brought it to her, urging her to eat. Finally, she finished and he took the empty bowl from her. She was practically asleep already. He helped her to her room and into her bed. He pulled the quilt up to her shoulder then surprised himself by leaning down and kissing her cheek.  
  
"G'night, Logan," she whispered, her eyes closing.  
  
"Good night, darlin'," he answered, quietly leaving her room and pulling the door almost closed behind him. He returned to the living room and stared into the fire until late in the night.  
  
  
  
She slept until early the next afternoon. As soon as she was up, Wolverine prepared a large meal and insisted that she eat as much as she could. Her face was pale and she was thinner than he liked. When she had finished, he said,  
  
"Darlin', I've got to go back inta town, ta let the Professor know what's happened." Her already pale face blanched further.  
  
"You don't hafta go, but I want ya ta stay inside until I get back."  
  
"All right," she answered. They put away the dishes then she watched from the window as he drove away. She went to her room and took the box that held the psi-dampener from her closet. Wolverine had given it to her the day after they arrived, but she had never done anything with it. She got the tools from the shelf in the kitchen and proceeded to take the unit apart, examining it minutely. She wanted to know exactly how the hated device worked, though she wasn't quite sure why.  
  
  
  
"Wolvie!" Jubilee shouted when she saw Wolverine on the telephone screen. "When're you guys comin' home?"  
  
"I don' know, darlin'. You takin' care o' yerself?"  
  
"Of course. I'm not a little kid, ya know."  
  
"I know, darlin'. Is the Professor around?"  
  
"Yeah. Hang on a sec." The screen went dark for a moment as Jubilee transferred Wolverine's call to Professor Xavier's ready room.  
  
"Logan, is everything all right? I read an article this morning about an attempted robbery."  
  
"Kid's shook up, but she'll be okay. She c'n take care o' herself." He took a drag off his cigarette, then dropped it to the sidewalk, crushing it under foot. "This's set us back a mite, though. When I told her I was comin' inta town, she looked like I'd asked her ta step inta a meat grinder."  
  
"I see. I was hoping the two of you would be returning soon. I received a ... disturbing call a few days ago." Wolverine waited for the Professor to go on. "An old colleague of mine, Curtis Richardson, called. He was quite unpleasant, insinuating that I had stolen his research and demanding that I return his lab materials. It was only after I cut him off that I realized he may have been speaking of Star. His specialty was genetic engineering."  
  
"Was?"  
  
"Yes. The medical board revoked his license for unauthorized experimentation with human subjects."  
  
"Then ya think he's Star's 'Doctor'."  
  
"The probability is high. The man has no ethics. I have been trying to locate lab facilities that he may be using, but I haven't had any luck so far."  
  
"Let me know when ya find it. I wanna be in on this one."  
  
"I will, Logan. Rest assured."  
  
"Tell Jubilee I'll be seein' her soon."  
  
"I will." Wolverine cut the connection and walked across the street to the diner where Maudie and Harry were cleaning up the wreckage. Maudie dropped her broom to embrace him as soon as he entered the building.  
  
"Is Star all right?"  
  
"She's just fine, Maudie. Just didn't feel up ta a trip ta town today."  
  
"Well, let me fix something for you to take back to her. The kitchen wasn't damaged at all." Maudie disappeared through the swinging door to the kitchen before Wolverine could answer her.  
  
"How you two doin', Harry?"  
  
"We'll manage. 'S not as bad as it looks, really. Replace the glass an' patch the holes in the walls an' you'd never know the place'd been shot up." He paused and leaned on his broom. "Ya know, we came up here ta get away from the violence of the big cities, but I guess ya can't run away from human nature." He swept up a pile of broken glass, then said,  
  
"I'm glad your girl's okay, Logan. I was afraid that goon 'd hurt her."  
  
"She'll be fine, Harry."  
  
"I know she will. She's a tough little gal, 'spite of what Maudie thinks. No slouch in the guts department, either. She deliberately distracted those guys. If she hadn't, they'd a started shooting before they did. As it is, its a miracle nobody got hurt." He grinned, "Nobody that counted, anyhow." Maudie bustled in with a large bag and a small box filled with food.  
  
"Good lord, Maudie. That's enough ta feed an army."  
  
"Nonsense. Its just a few sandwiches and one o' Harry's apple pies. You know how much that girl likes his pies. Anyhow, it'd just go to waste here. It'll be a couple of days before we open back up. Take that long to get the glass in."  
  
"All right, Maudie. Thanks."  
  
"Any time, Logan." Wolverine took the food from Maudie, then said,  
  
"Listen, if you folks need any help gettin' the place fixed up again, just let me know."  
  
"Shouldn't be any problem. The insurance will cover most of the damage, and the place needed a new coat of paint anyhow. Now you get on back to that little gal of yours. Don't want that pie to cool off too much." Wolverine smiled. Harry had probably spent most of the morning making that pie for Star. The talk about it 'going to waste' had been pure bull.  
  
  
  
Star was sitting at the table in the kitchen, the electronics of the psi-dampener neatly placed around the nearly dismantled unit. She was examining a circuit board when Wolverine walked in with Maudie's packages. She put the circuit board down and took the box from him, placing it on the counter.  
  
"I thought you got rid o' that thing." She shook her head.  
  
"No. I needed to understand how it works, but hadn't been able to bring myself to touch it."  
  
"Ya finished now?"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled and swept the pieces into the case, placing the whole thing in the closet with the tools.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next few days were quiet. They went to town on the day Harry and Maudie reopened their diner. Star asked Harry to show her how to make an apple pie and he happily invited her into his kitchen.  
  
"Now I know you've got some things to pick up, Logan. Star'll be fine here. Harry'll keep her busy for a while. Besides," Maudie said, "Harry reloaded the shotgun."  
  
"All right, Maudie. I'll be right back." Wolverine walked down the street to Mary's dress shop.  
  
  
  
"Hi, Logan. Hang on a second." Mary disappeared into the back room of her shop. She came back a moment later with two brightly wrapped packages, one much larger than the other. She wrapped them together in brown paper.  
  
"I want you to see this the same time she does. I think you'll both like it. Oh, by the way, I talked to Dave the other day. He still had your measurements on file. You tux should be ready in time for the dance."  
  
"Thanks, Mary. I forgot all about it."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Where'd I be without you?" Mary just smiled at him. He put the packages in the back of the jeep and went into the diner. Later that afternoon, with the still hot apple pie in the back with the packages and supplies, they drove back to the cabin. He put the packages in his room. She didn't ask about them.  
  
  
  
The next day was Christmas Eve. He started to explain the celebration to her, only to discover that Maudie and Jubilee, through her letters, had already done so. He brought the two packages out and placed them next to the fireplace, well away from the fire itself. The next time he noticed, there were three packages.  
  
  
  
It had been a very dry autumn in the mountains and, while the weather had steadily grown colder, there had been no snow. That night it snowed. The silence of a snow blanketed world awakened him and he got up to look outside. He was immediately aware of a cold breeze blowing through his partially open door. He hurried to the door and opened it all the way. The living room was freezing, the front door standing open. He checked the other bedroom and the kitchen, but Star was not in the cabin. The snow was several inches deep outside but no tracks were visible. How long had she been gone? He dressed quickly. Even he could only tolerate the cold for so long. As he reached for his coat, he noticed hers hanging on the back of the coat rack near the door. He shrugged into his coat and grabbed hers. It couldn't be more than ten degrees outside. And without her coat, she wouldn't last long. He had to find her quickly, but the snow had completely covered her tracks and she was damned hard to scent in the best of circumstances. He closed the door behind him so the cabin would be warmer when he returned with Star.  
  
  
Why would she have gone out? It had to be the snow. She'd undoubtedly never seen it before. Which way, he thought, which way would she have gone? He moved toward the back of the cabin, where she'd played with the raccoon. He saw a faint indentation in the snow, nearly invisible, but there none the less. A footprint. He hurried through the trees, looking for other signs of her passage. He found more prints, not quite so obscure. It began to snow more heavily, but the tracks were becoming fresher. He was gaining on her.  
  
  
He finally found her in a clearing well behind the cabin, kneeling in the snow, her arms out and her head thrown back in a position of supplication. Or wonderment. Her eyes were closed. She was dressed only in a thin night shirt, her feet and legs completely bare.  
  
  
"Star," he called. She didn't respond. He moved closer and touched one outstretched hand. Her skin was cold, and she didn't respond to him. He wrapped her coat around her, pulling her to her feet. She didn't resist him, but she didn't help either. He picked her up, and carried her back through the woods.  
  
  
The cabin had warmed up considerably, but was still cool. He took her directly to the shower and, holding her with one arm, turned the water on. He let her coat fall away from her body, then supported her while the warm water streamed over her. She had finally started to warm, though she was still cooler than he liked, when the hot water ran out. He shut it off and peeled her wet clothing from her. He wrapped her in a heavy towel and carried her to the living room. He put her down on the couch and quickly built up the fire in the fire place. He rubbed her arms and hands then turned his attention to her legs and feet. She was still very cold. She wasn't unconscious, but she didn't seem to be aware, either. He grasped her arms and shook her gently.  
  
"Star, c'mon girl, wake up." Nothing. He shook her harder, but she still didn't respond. He stripped his wet shirt off and pulled her into his arms, turning with her toward the blazing fire, hoping she would come back as her body warmed.  
  
  
Finally, she stirred in his arms. He looked down at her and she smiled.  
  
"Oh, Logan. Its so beautiful."  
  
"What is, girl? What 'r you talkin' about?"  
  
"There are no words," she said, her voice soft in his head as she linked their minds and showed him. He was stunned by the complexity of her awareness of the world. Every snowflake that fell was a geometric sculpture, beautiful beyond words. He felt every animal, sleeping or stirring, each a bright light. He felt the trees, the plants, slumbering through the cold. He could feel the life in the earth itself, old beyond measure, slow and steady but immensely powerful. There was too much to assimilate all at once. He blacked out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Love Blossoms and Dies, Sabretooth Arriv...

When he came to it took him a few moments to get his bearings. He was aware of Star, her eyes anxious as she looked at him. He shook his head sharply. Everything in the room seemed...dull somehow, stunted. He felt oddly isolated.  
  
"Is that how you see everything?" She nodded mutely.  
  
"Can you...tone it down?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
"The snow, it was so beautiful that I kept reaching, I wanted to see it all." The towel had fallen away and she was shivering violently. He put his arms around her, pulling her close once more. Her skin was still cold. He leaned his back against the couch, holding her.  
  
"Show me again," he murmured. He felt her gently reach into his mind and suddenly he could see again, though not so far as before. The fire before them leaped and danced like a living thing. The very air seemed alive. He knew it was still snowing even though the windows were covered. He could feel every flake as it fell. He stroked her hair and it was like silk, her skin as soft as velvet. She looked up at him and her features were recognizable, though she seemed to glow with an inner light. He bent his head and kissed her. The kiss seemed to last an eternity and he could feel her body warming, responding to him. He held her tightly and she clung to him, her naked body pressed against him. His growing desire was matched by her desire for him. He broke their kiss suddenly, pulling away from her.  
  
"Logan" she whispered "I am not a child." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He didn't resist. Her small breasts, bare against his chest, suddenly did not feel childlike at all. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him once more. Their minds still linked, they shared every caress, each touch bringing them closer together, until at last, their bodies joined and they were one physically as well as mentally. They made love before the fireplace until at last, exhausted, they slept.  
  
  
  
He woke as she gently withdrew from his mind. He held her in his arms and felt a moment of regret. She looked at him sharply, her eyes questioning.  
  
"I'm s'posed ta be takin' care of ya, darlin'. Not takin' advantage of ya."  
  
"Is that truly how you feel, Logan?" There was a catch in her voice. He considered his feelings silently while she kept her mind meticulously closed. After a moment he decided that his regret stemmed from his previous losses and really had nothing to do with the woman in his arms.  
  
"No, darlin'. I guess not." He kissed her once more and felt the unhappiness flow from them both.  
  
  
Later, after they had eaten, he remembered the dress. He gave her the two packages as she sat on the couch, watching the fire burn. She stroked the box almost as if she could sense what was inside. Perhaps she could.  
  
"Go on an' open it." She tore the paper from the box and opened it carefully. She stared at the carefully folded silver and black cloth, her mouth open. She gently lifted the dress from the box, running her hands over the cloth. She looked at him, her eyes shinning.  
  
"Its beautiful."  
  
"Well, try it on." She scrambled to her feet and held the dress before her. Then, with a sudden glance at him, she dashed for her room.  
  
"Hey, wait a second!" She stopped short and turned back to look at him. He laughed and tossed her the box containing the shoes Mary had chosen. "Take this with you." She snatched the box out of the air and disappeared into her room, the door closing silently behind her.  
  
  
It was several minutes before she emerged, clad in her new dress and shoes. She had brushed her hair and it lay glistening about her shoulders. He stared at her, speechless. He got to his feet and approached her. He gazed down at her and, finding his voice, said,  
  
"You are absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." She smiled radiantly up at him.  
  
"Thank you, Logan." She twisted slightly and the full skirt swirled about her legs. "I love it." She smoothed the fabric with her hands. He put his hands on her waist and swung her around, both of them laughing.  
  
"I have something for you, too," she said suddenly. He reluctantly released her and she turned to the third package by the fireplace. He sat back on the couch, still marveling at her beauty, and wondering how he had missed it before. She hesitantly extended the package toward him and he caught her wrist, pulling her down next to him as he took it from her. It was surprisingly heavy. At her silent urging, he tore the paper away. It was a statue of himself, carved from a single piece of dark wood. He touched it, amazed. The likeness was uncanny. She had captured his very spirit in the wood. The statue almost seemed alive.  
  
"Do you like it?" she asked at last.  
  
"Darlin', I love it." He carefully placed it on the small table near the door then pulled Star to her feet.  
  
"Dance with me."  
  
"I don't know how," she answered quietly.  
  
"I'll teach you." Together, they danced.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The days between Christmas and New Year's Eve flew by. Star had learned to tap into the energy inherent in the earth itself and was no longer a danger to others. After the first of the year, they would be returning to the mansion.  
  
  
Wolverine wondered how the others would react to his relationship with Star. Despite his best intentions, he had fallen in love with the girl. He sighed, knowing that he would do whatever was best for her, no matter how hard it might be for him. Not for a moment did he realize that she felt the same way.  
  
  
Star came upon him while he was reflecting on the lost loves of his life. She watched him quietly for a long time before letting him know she was there. She sat down next to him on the porch steps and he placed an arm around her shoulders. She was aware that her presence had only heightened his melancholy and she sadly moved away from him. He caught her hand in his and pulled her gently back down to the step.  
  
"Its all right, girl," he said. "Allow an old man his memories."  
  
"You're not old, Logan."  
  
"Older than you know, darlin'. Older than any man who's lived his life like I have has any right ta be."  
  
"Is age so important, then?"  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
"When?" Wolverine sighed and ground out his cigarette. Sometimes he wondered if she would ever run out of questions.  
  
"Like when that goon grabbed you at the mall and then tried ta blame it on you an' Jubilee. Xavier pulled some strings an' had you listed as seventeen an' in his care."  
  
"But I'm not seventeen."  
  
"I know, darlin'. Hank figures ya ta be in yer early twenties. That was just ta protect ya from a legal system that don't always work." He smile wryly. "Didn't work real well at that, did it?" He glanced at her and frowned at her expression. "What is it, kid?"  
  
"I'm not in my twenties, either."  
  
"Well, just how flamin' old are ya, then?"  
  
"The best I can remember, its been about six years since I was hatched." Wolverine stared at her, dumbfounded.  
  
"Six years?" Star nodded, flinching away from the turmoil in his mind.  
  
"Yer six years old."  
  
"M..maybe a little older. I..I don't know for certain." He stood up abruptly, moving away from her. His hands were clenched and she cringed, though she sensed that his anger was directed at himself, not at her.  
  
  
His anger, and his pain, was so intense she couldn't block it out. When the memory of their lovemaking caused him further anguish, she instinctively seized his mind, suppressing the memories of their love as well as their loving. She fought back tears as she directed his body to resume his seat on the porch steps. Then she gently released his mind, leaving him with no memory of her manipulation, or of their love.  
  
"Six, huh? Ain't that a kick." He laughed. "Jubilee's gonna love it. She always hated bein' the youngest X-Man." She smiled at him, then got up and went inside, ruthlessly suppressing her own grief. She would ever be a child to him now.  
  
  
  
After dinner, Wolverine turned to her and said,  
  
"They throw a big shindig in town for New Year's Eve, darlin'. Ya wanna go?"  
  
"All right."  
  
  
  
The next day was New Year's Eve. When Star emerged from her room, wearing her new dress and with her hair and makeup done according to Maudie's directions, Wolverine whistled at her.  
  
"Ya know, darlin', it'd be real easy ta ferget yer just six."  
  
"I wish you would." He just smiled at her.  
  
"C'mon, girl. Ya don't wanna be late t' yer first party, do ya?" She shook her head. As he helped her with her coat, Wolverine wondered at the air of melancholy which surrounded her. He shruggingly attributed it to her love of the little cabin and the woods around it. They would be leaving day after tomorrow to return to Xavier's mansion and the other X-Men.  
  
  
  
The night was clear and cold as they drove down the twisting road to the town below. The snow cast a smooth blanket over everything, reflecting the light of their headlights back at them. Star shivered and Wolverine put an arm about her shoulders, drawing her close to the warmth of his body. Once more, she fought back tears.  
  
  
By the time they reached the high school gym, the only building large enough for the annual celebration, Star had composed herself again. Wolverine parked at the edge of the parking lot and they walked to the building. The dance was already underway and they entered without being noticed. They hung their coats on a rack near the door and Wolverine drew her onto the dance floor.  
  
  
He had taught her well and soon the graceful couple had attracted the attention, and often the envy, of everyone in the room, though they seemed to be aware only of each other.  
  
  
At the stroke of midnight Wolverine drew her close and held her in his arms. Chronologically she might be only six, but physically and mentally, she was much, much older. He watched her eyes as he bent to kiss her, ready to back off at the first sign of hesitation. Instead she turned to meet him, her lips parting as they met his. They kissed long and deeply. When they finally separated, he continued to hold her close and, looking into her eyes, he said,  
  
"God, woman. You are so easy to love." To his surprise, she reacted as if he had slapped her. Her eyes filled with tears as she tore herself from his arms and fled across the crowded room and through the door to the outside. He was astounded. He'd had a lot of reactions from the women he'd kissed, but never tears.  
  
"Star, wait!" he called as he hurried after her. By the time he reached the door, she was halfway across the parking lot. He caught up with her in the middle of the street, grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.  
  
"Star," he said. She refused to face him, keeping her body turned away, her free hand to her face.  
  
"Damn it, girl, look at me!" He turned her toward him, holding her arms. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"C'mere." He drew her back to the sidewalk, out of the street.  
  
"Now, what's the matter?"  
  
"You said you loved me."  
  
"Yes, I did. An' I do."  
  
"But I'm only six."  
  
"That don't matter, girl."  
  
"It did before."  
  
"What?" Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on her arms.  
  
"You loved me before and it mattered," she sobbed. "It mattered a lot."  
  
"What the hell are you talkin' about?"  
  
"You loved me, Logan. And I love you." His eyes narrowed as she spoke, unaware that his hands were bruisingly tight on her arms. "Then I told you how old I was and you...you...you hated me!" He stared at her unbelievingly. "You hated yourself for loving me. And it hurt. It hurt so badly that I couldn't stand it. So I...I..."  
  
"You what," Wolverine demanded, comprehension dawning in his eyes.  
  
"I...made you...forget," she whispered.  
  
"Ain't I got enough holes in my head without you addin' to it?" he snarled angrily.  
  
"There was so much pain."  
  
"My pain, girl! My memories!" He shook her, emphasizing his words.  
  
"I can give them back," she cried.  
  
"Then do it!" His fury, always so near the surface, was undisguised. She reached into his mind gently and with infinite sadness, for she knew she had lost him again. As she removed the memory blocks she had placed, she felt as though her heart were breaking and she knew she could not live if he hated her.  
  
The memories flooded his mind, nearly overwhelming him. The joy of linked minds. The feel of her body in his arms. The way her smile made his heart swell. Even the despair when he learned her true age. He released her abruptly.  
  
"Now get outta my head, kid," he snarled turning away from her. "It ain't polite." She collapsed to the snow covered sidewalk, her legs drawn up beneath her, her hands covering her face as she cried silently. He stood with his back to her for several minutes, trying to assimilate the conflicting emotions his restored memories had triggered. When he finally turned back to her she had not moved. He fought his anger as he looked down at her. In many ways, she was a woman, but in others she was still a child, even more vulnerable than himself. Abruptly aware of the cold, he took his jacket off and draped it gently around her shoulders. She flinched as if she'd expected a blow. He drew her to her feet, his anger nearly banished by the expression of sorrow she wore.  
  
"Next time ya drop a bombshell, girl, give a man a chance t' adjust." She nodded without lifting her head. He sighed, his anger completely gone. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go home." He put his arm around her, as much to warm her as to reassure her, as they walked back toward the parking lot. They'd only gone a few steps when she stopped suddenly.  
  
"Logan."  
  
"What is it, kid?"  
  
"Where are the children?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The children. They weren't at the party. Where are they?"  
  
"The local youth center has a sleep in every year." She was frowning. "Why?"  
  
"Something's wrong. I smell...smoke." She looked up at him. "A...a fire. The children are afraid. Logan! Its burning!" Faintly, the smell of smoke drifted to them.  
  
"You go for help, darlin'. I'll go do what I can." He ran in the direction of the youth center. She turned toward the high school, then realized that there was a faster way. She opened her mind, reaching out to touch every adult for miles.  
  
"The children are in danger! Help them! Hurry!" She felt them beginning to respond, so she followed Wolverine.  
  
There were thirty or forty children in the street in front of the youth center, most dressed only in pajamas. Several adults were urging them toward a church across the street.  
  
"Help is coming!" she told them. "Are all the children out?"  
  
"No! I've got at least three missing! Maybe four! Steve 'n Mr. Logan went back in looking for 'em!" Star turned her attention toward the burning building. She found Wolverine and the man named Steve immediately. She searched for a moment and found the three missing children. Two were together on the first floor, the third had run up the stairs, away from the flames.  
  
"Logan, I can hear the children. Two are in front of you, to your left. The third is upstairs." She felt Wolverine move in response to her directions. He quickly found the two youngsters, cowering in a closet. He tore the door from its hinges and snatched them out, handing one to Steve, then guiding the man back to the front door. He handed him the second child and returned to the building.  
  
"Where, darlin'?" She heard him ask.  
  
"Up. Hurry, Logan. The flames are above her now." She struggled to hold the flames back for him, to provide him safe passage to the frightened child.  
  
"Higher," she told him. "Now to your right. She's under something." The smoke was blinding, burning his lungs. He finally located the little girl in an office, hiding under a desk. She was barely conscious as he picked her up. He turned at an ominous creaking. He held the little girl close, protecting her with his body as the ceiling collapsed, burning beams pinning them both.  
  
"No!" Star screamed. Suddenly she was in the burning room with Wolverine and the child. She shifted the burning beams with her mind then put her arms around the unconscious man and the child he had protected. The rest of the floor above collapsed, but the room was empty.  
  
"Please," she called. "We need help." The ambulance attendant turned,  
  
"Where the hell did you come from?" he demanded, turning to her with his first aid kit. "Jesus," he muttered under his breath as he examined Wolverine and the child. "Jim! I've got smoke inhalation and third degree burns here! Gimme a hand!" A second attendant approached at a run. He took the little girl and placed an oxygen mask over her face. He handed a second bottle and mask to the first attendant who fitted it to Wolverine. Wolverine didn't respond.  
  
  
Maudie found Star as they were loading Wolverine into the ambulance.  
  
"C'mon, honey. Harry and I'll drive you to the hospital." Star shook her head.  
  
"What's the matter? Did you two have a fight?"  
  
"Something like that." Star felt the tears start again. "I...don't think it would be...appropriate for him to see me when he wakes up."  
  
"Are you sure, Star?" She just nodded, watching the ambulance pull away. "Well, all right. But you will stay at our place tonight."  
  
"No, please. I just...want to go home."  
  
  
  
Sabretooth grinned as he kicked open the back door of the little cabin. When he'd taken this job, he hadn't known Logan was involved. A simple, although well paying, snatch might turn out interesting after all. And more satisfying as well. He might be required to deliver the frail alive, but the same could not be said of her bodyguard. He snarled as the human entered the cabin behind him.  
  
"Is the Mutie bitch here?"  
  
"Shut up, you moron. Of course she's not here." He sniffed. "But she has been, and I'm willing to bet she'll be back." He grinned again, causing the human to step back. Sabretooth barely noticed. "They'll both be back." Despite the darkness, he spotted the statuette Star had given Wolverine. He picked it up and examined it.  
  
"Looks like the runt's gettin' soft. Might not be much of a fight after all." He put the carving back on the table.  
  
"You got that collar ready? If this frail is a telepath, we gotta take her out first. Then I'll deal with Logan."  
  
"Is this thing gonna work?" The human asked dubiously, fingering the dull gray ring of metal.  
  
"You'd better hope so. If she is a telepath, she's been trainin' with the runt and his X pals, and she won't be a push over." He cocked his head at a sudden noise from outside. He moved quickly to the window and peered out. He watched as a car pulled up to the cabin and a tiny woman climbed out. She stopped and spoke to someone in the car. Then she turned and walked toward the cabin. The car backed down the drive and pulled away.  
  
"Get that damn thing turned on," Sabretooth snarled, thumbing a switch on the metallic belt he wore. "Somethin's wrong. The runt ain't with her." He moved silently away from the window. "Take out the frail. I'm gonna look for the runt." The big mutant glided through the cabin and out the back door. He circled the cabin looking for any sign of Wolverine.  
  
  
  
Star opened the door of the cabin and stepped inside, then closed the door behind her. She slipped Wolverine's jacket off her shoulders and turned to hang it on the coat rack. She shivered, for it was cooler in the cabin than she had expected. She looked toward the fireplace. The fire had burned down to mere coals. She would need to build it back up. She was moving toward the fireplace when suddenly there was an awful nothingness in front of her. She froze for an instant and that was nearly her undoing. The nothingness engulfed her and she found herself facing Harry Jones. He grinned as he snapped a cold piece of metal about her throat and abruptly she was blind. She was terrified, but her hours in the danger room had been well spent. She struck him twice with the heel of her hand, once in the belly, and once under the chin. She felt the vibration as he struck the floor. She ran for the door of the cabin and threw it open. She was aware of the warmth of another body an instant before she hit it. She didn't recognize his scent, but she knew he was a large man, the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest. Before she could try to escape, he gripped her arms and lifted her from her feet. She looked up at him, her blind eyes oblivious to his hideous grin.  
  
"Where's yer boyfriend, girlie?" Sabretooth snarled at her. She lashed out at him with both feet. An attack by an opponent of her size was a complete surprise to Sabretooth. He doubled over, releasing her. She ducked past him, through the open door and toward the trees. He slashed at her, barely touching her as she passed, but his claws, capable of rending flesh from bone, tore deep gouges into her back.  
  
Instinctively, Sabretooth knew that if she reached the trees, she would be very difficult to find, psi dampener or no. Straightening, his hand brushed the statuette. He grabbed it and threw it, with unnerving accuracy, at Star's rapidly retreating figure. The base of the statuette caught her in the back of the head, and she dropped like a stone.  
  
The human on the floor behind Sabretooth moaned, but he didn't spare him a glance. Sabretooth had known he was a waste of space from the instant Richardson had insisted that he be taken along on this job. He approached the girl cautiously, but she didn't move. He crouched beside her sprawled body and put his hand against her throat, checking for a pulse. She was still alive. The smell of her blood, flowing from the wounds in her back as well as from a tear in her scalp, was almost enough to send him into a killing frenzy. He fought it down. She was more valuable alive. Logan would come after her and he could indulge his bloodlust then. He tore a strip from the dress she was wearing and bound her wrists behind her back. As an afterthought, he used more material from the dress to bind her wounds, slowing the blood flow. She showed no signs of regaining consciousness.  
  
Harry Jones walked up beside Sabretooth.  
  
"What happened? I locked that collar on her and she still decked me."  
  
"Told ya she wouldn't be a push over." Sabretooth stood and looked around, still expecting Wolverine to come to the girl's defense.  
  
"Stinkin' mutant," he heard Jones mutter. He turned toward the human just as he delivered a vicious kick to the prone girl's ribs. Sabretooth backhanded him, knocking him to the snow covered ground.  
  
"Richardson wants her alive," he snarled.  
  
"I got a score ta settle with her," Jones answered, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of one hand.  
  
"Take it up with Richardson."  
  
"Maybe I got a score to settle with you too, huh?" Sabretooth grinned at him.  
  
"Give it yer best shot, flat scan." Jones didn't move. He'd suddenly realized how isolated it was up here. The mutant could kill him and blame it on the missing bodyguard. No one would be any the wiser. He'd wait for a better time.  
  
"Go get that fur rug from in front of the fireplace. Wouldn't do ta have the merchandise freeze ta death before we deliver." Jones got to his feet, careful to make no sudden moves, then went to the cabin as ordered. He returned a moment later with the rug. He spread it in the snow, then moved the girl to it. He folded it around her, then picked her up. She made an awkward bundle, especially walking through the deep snow, but Jones decided he'd better not give the crazy mutant any excuse. The snow started again, covering their tracks as they walked the short distance through the woods to the vehicle which had brought them here.  
  
  
  
At three o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day, the phone rang at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Cyclops answered sleepily.  
  
"Is Mr. Xavier there?" the woman asked, hesitantly.  
  
"He's asleep, ma'am. Can I help you with something?"  
  
"I am sorry for calling so late. My name is Maudie Friedlander. My husband I run a little diner in Andrewsville. Anyway, there's been an accident." Cyclops was wide awake now. "Logan mentioned Mr. Xavier once or twice and I thought maybe you'd know how to get hold of his family."  
  
"Scott, what is it?" Jean asked silently.  
  
"I don't know yet," he answered. "Mrs. Friedlander, we are Logan's family. What has happened?"  
  
"There was a fire and Logan was badly burned getting a little girl out. He's in the hospital in the next town." Cyclops caught Jean's flash of apprehension and turned to her for a moment.  
  
"If he's alive, Jean, he'll be all right."  
  
"I know, Scott." She paused, "What about Star?"  
  
"We'll be up as quickly as we can, ma'am. Um," he paused, "there was a young woman with Logan, Mrs. Friedlander," he began.  
  
"You must mean Star. Frankly, I'm worried about that child. She didn't want to go to the hospital with Logan, now don't worry, she wasn't hurt, but she wouldn't stay over with us either. Insisted that we take her home. I hated like the dickens to leave her up there all by herself, but she just wouldn't hear of anything else."  
  
"She can be quite...strong willed ma'am. Thank you for calling us. We will be on our way shortly."  
  
"Now you folks be careful coming up here. Its been snowing on and off since Christmas and its lookin' to blow up a blizzard right now."  
  
"We will, ma'am. Good-bye." Cyclops disconnected and turned to Jean, taking her in his arms.  
  
"He'll be fine, my love."  
  
"I know, Scott. I just..." she sighed.  
  
"I understand." He released her, "I'll get the blackbird, you wake the Professor and the others." In fifteen minutes, the X-Men were on their way.  
  
  
  
Using the image inducer, Beast introduced himself to the hospital staff as Wolverine's private physician. He was given Wolverine's chart and went into the room to check his patient. Wolverine was heavily sedated, common practice with a patient as badly burned as he had been. Beast gently peeled back the bandages to peer at the rapidly healing tissue beneath.  
  
"Yes, indeed," he said to the nurse. "Since you have done such an admirable job stabilizing the patient, I believe we will go ahead and transfer him to our clinic now."  
  
"All right, Doctor. Shall I arrange an ambulance?"  
  
"That's not necessary, nurse. We have our own transportation." With the willing assistance of the others, Beast moved the unconscious X-Man out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. A man approached them as they waited for the car.  
  
"Excuse me. I understand that you are Mr. Logan's doctor?"  
  
"That is correct. Can I help you?" The man looked with regret at the bandage swathed figure, lying motionless on the gurney.  
  
"Will he be all right? You see, it was my daughter, my Miranda that he pulled out of that building. And I just...needed to let him know..."  
  
"I quite understand." The elevator opened and Jean and Storm wheeled the gurney inside. "He will be fine. His injuries are not nearly as severe as originally believed. And your daughter?"  
  
"Oh, she's fine. Doc says she inhaled a lot of smoke, but that she'll be OK."  
  
"I'm certain Logan will be pleased to hear that." Beast entered the elevator as the man returned to his daughter's room.  
  
"Hank?"  
  
"He's healing nicely, Jean. He's out because of the sedation, nothing else."  
  
By the time they reached the blackbird, Wolverine was coming around.  
  
"How are you feeling, Logan?"  
  
"Can't answer that in mixed company, Jeanne," he said. "What happened?"  
  
"It seems a burning building fell on you, my friend," Beast told him. Wolverine struggled to sit up.  
  
"There was a kid," he started.  
  
"The child is fine, Logan," Jean hurried to assure him. "Minor smoke inhalation, but no burns. You got her out of the building before you collapsed."  
  
"No way. That ceiling hit us like a ton o' bricks." Storm carefully removed the remaining bandages. Wolverine shook his head, still groggy from the sedatives. "Wait a minute. Star was there. She got us out." He looked around. "Hey, where is she?"  
  
"Mrs. Friedlander said she and her husband took her back to your cabin."  
  
"Damn. 'S not a good time fer the kid ta be alone. We had a ... misunderstandin'."  
  
"You care for her very much Logan. I am happy for you."  
  
"So'm I, Jeanne. So'm I."  
  
"I shall fly to your cabin, and wait with her until the rest of you can arrive." Storm said, stepping back out into the early morning darkness.  
  
"Is there anyplace nearby to land the blackbird, Wolverine?" Cyclops asked as he prepared to take off.  
  
"Yeah, there's a meadow about mile from the cabin that's big enough."  
  
  
  
They were setting down in the meadow Wolverine indicated when Storm called over their private communication channel.  
  
"Cyclops, the child is not here."  
  
"What d'ya mean, she ain't there. Where else could she be?" Wolverine put in.  
  
"There is ... evidence ... of a struggle," Storm replied. Wolverine was out the door as soon as it opened, moving quickly toward his cabin.  
  
  
  
Storm met Wolverine as he neared the cabin.  
  
"She is not within, Wolverine. Nor was I able to find her anywhere nearby." Wolverine entered the cabin through the damaged back door. His nostrils flared as he picked up a familiar scent.  
  
"Creed!" he snarled, "And that no good cop, too. They were both here." He paused by a dark stain on the open front door, touched his fingers to it and brought them close to his nose. "Blood. Star's by the smell of it," his voice was reduced to a low growl as he searched in front of the cabin for an indication of where they had gone. He found the statuette, nearly buried in the snow, more of Star's blood smeared on the base. He swept aside the fresh snow and found the blood stain where she had fallen. There were small pieces of material on the snow as well.  
  
"Looks like they tied her up, so at least she was alive then."  
  
"We'll find her, Logan," Jean said, though she wished she could be as sure as she tried to sound. Wolverine had completely blocked his emotions and Jean was very worried. If they lost Star, they would probably lose Wolverine as well.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sabretooth put the girl on the table indicated by the technician and stood glowering down at him. The technician removed the fur rug from the girl's body. He gently turned her over and, with a pair of scissors, he cut the cloth which bound her wrists. He straightened her body and fastened the restraining straps across her wrists and ankles. He fastened another across her waist, but left the chest strap off. He removed the make-shift bandaging from her back, hastily replacing it with gauze pads and applying pressure as the wounds started bleeding again.  
  
"Hey, Jerry! Give me hand here, it's a mess!" Another technician entered from a side room, followed by an older man who paused only long enough to make certain the technicians had the situation under control.  
  
"Mr. Creed, I believe our contract stated that the specimen be delivered alive."  
  
"Yer frail is alive, Richardson. The contract didn't say nothin' about deliverin' her intact."  
  
"The specimen is of little use to me in this condition."  
  
"You are gonna be of little use to you if yer thinkin' of reneging on our contract." Sabretooth snarled.  
  
"Of course not, Mr. Creed," Richardson hurriedly reassured him. "You will be paid as we agreed." He cleared his throat nervously. "Mr. Jones tells me you had some difficulties in retrieving my specimen."  
  
"None ta speak of. That moron you saddled me with flubbed the snatch. That's how she got hurt." He grinned suddenly, "Yer gonna have trouble hangin' on to her, though."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The guy she was running with is a stubborn bastard. He won't quit 'til he's found her."  
  
"Why?" Sabretooth stared down at him.  
  
"Why? You just spent one hell of a lot of money havin' me retrieve the girl, an'..."  
  
"Please, Mr. Creed. Number thirty-six is not a 'girl'. It is merely a laboratory animal. A very valuable animal, I will admit, but an animal just the same."  
  
"Yeah? Well, he ain't gonna see it that way." Sabretooth placed a companionable, and intimidating, arm about Richardson's shoulders. "Ya see, Logan's got this habit o' gettin' ... attached ta people."  
  
"But thirty-six isn't a person," Richardson said. "Its not human by any stretch of the imagination. Why, its not even a true mutant."  
  
"Then what is she?"  
  
"It," he answered, stressing the word, "is a genetic construct. I gathered tissue samples from mutants all over the world. Then I spliced the mutated chromosomes together and implanted them in an unfertilized human egg. The resultant zygote was placed in an artificial womb where it was put through a forced growth process. The entire process takes approximately one year from implantation to hatching, at which time you have the equivalent of an eleven or twelve year old human." He looked up at Sabretooth. "Being prepubescent, they are still quite malleable and eager for training." He sighed. "Unfortunately, many of the zygotes proved to be unviable. And of those that did survive, number thirty-six is the only one to successfully endure adolescence. It proved to be a particularly hardy specimen." He gestured toward the two technicians, still bent over the motionless girl, "You'll notice that they are taking no precautions to prevent contamination of the wounds. That is because it is not necessary. Its immune system is so highly developed that even deliberately introduced pathogens have no effect. I believe...David, hand me that chart." The first technician handed the suture to Jerry and picked up the chart, handing it to Richardson. "Yes, I thought I remembered that," he said, opening the chart to one of the first pages. "Right here, Mr. Creed." He pointed to a list of names. "Your tissue was included in the creation of this one." Sabretooth looked at him sharply, then looked more closely at the list of names. "I had hoped that it would inherit your healing ability, but apparently, it did not." Sabretooth located his name about half way down the list which included such mutants as Jean Grey, Elizabeth Braddock (Psylock), Emma Frost (The White Queen), Charles Xavier, Alex Summers (Havoc), Rogue, and many others. Sabretooth whistled. No wonder this kid was a telepath.  
  
"Quite an impressive heritage, don't you think? I believe, however, that it will be necessary to mix normal human genes with the mutated genes for the next batch. I've begun gathering the tissue samples I will need." He looked at Sabretooth speculatively. "Would you consider letting me have a sample of your tissue? All my remaining samples were destroyed when the specimen was stolen. I would be more than happy to compensate you for it."  
  
"I don't think so, Richardson," Sabretooth said vehemently. "My son's nothing but trouble, and this one...No, I don't want any more little Creeds runnin' around, 'specially if I don't know about it."  
  
"Really, Mr. Creed. You must stop thinking of the specimen as a human. I was hoping to isolate the healing factor this time. It would be interesting to see how extensive the healing is."  
  
"No."  
  
"Very well," Richardson said, obviously disappointed. "If you will come with me, I'll see that you receive your payment." He closed the chart and placed it on the table by Star's head. "Keep me posted, David," he said, over his shoulder.  
  
"Of course, Dr. Richardson." Richardson and Sabretooth left the room. Jerry turned to David and said,  
  
"Boy, he's a cold one."  
  
"You're new here. You learn in a hurry to stop thinking of these things as human." He looked up from the wound he was suturing, "I've been here since he started this project eight years ago. If you'd seen some of the monsters that came out of the hatchery, some of the worst from the same batch as this one, you wouldn't have any doubt that this," he pointed at Star, "is not human."  
  
"She looks human enough to me."  
  
"Take a look at her chromosomes some time." They tended Star's wound is silence for a few moment.  
  
"What are the straps for?" Jerry asked.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"But she's not even conscious. It'd be easier to check her out if she wasn't strapped down."  
  
"Look," David said, exasperated. "This thing killed a dozen grown men when it was barely a year out of the hatchery, and from the glimpse I got of that ex-cop, it gave him and that merc a run for their money. I don't intend to take any chances. Now, shut up and hand me that suture."  
  
"What about the head wound?"  
  
"Its not bleeding anymore. After we're finished here, you can take it down to X-ray. With any luck, the big guy smashed its skull and we won't have to worry about it waking up." Jerry stared at him.  
  
"Shut your mouth and hand me that damned suture. It wouldn't break my heart if this thing dies, but I don't want it to be my fault." Jerry handed him the suture.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. The Payoff and the Rescue

"Here you are, Mr. Creed. Payment in full, in gold as you requested."  
  
"Right." Sabretooth closed the case after counting the ingots.  
  
"Can you tell me any more about this Logan person?"  
  
"Like I said, he'll find you. An' when he does, he'll take the frail, make no mistake about that."  
  
"That is unacceptable. Not only would my research be set back by years, but the specimen must not fall into the wrong hands."  
  
"Tell ya what, Richardson," Sabretooth grinned. "I've got some business ta take care of, but I figure it'll take Logan about a week ta find ya. I'll come back before then. No extra charge."  
  
  
  
"Dr. Richardson?"  
  
"Hmm? Ah, yes. Jerry, isn't it? You have the test results on thirty-six?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Jerry stood uncertainly.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Uh, yes. It, ah, required eighty-seven stitches to close the wounds in her, ah, it's back, sir. The X-rays do not show any skull fractures, although it is definitely suffering from concussion. The peripheral areas of the skull X-ray showed a discrepancy, prompting us to run a full series."  
  
"And?" Richardson said.  
  
"Well, sir," Jerry said, stepping forward and removing several X-rays from the envelope he carried. "The bone tissue in the left arm seems to have been replaced with metal."  
  
"Replaced? Surgically?"  
  
"No, sir, although there are several scars on her, it's, arm indicating that a surgical procedure had been performed, they were not extensive enough for the kind of tissue replacement involved."  
  
"Interesting." Richardson intently studied the X-rays. "Anything else?"  
  
"Yes, sir. We have evidence of abdominal surgery as well. We conducted a sonogram but could find no sign that any organs had been removed."  
  
Richardson slammed his fist into his desk,  
  
"Damn you, Charles Xavier. Couldn't wait to get your hands on my creation, then you spend your time cutting it apart! I'll have my revenge, Jerry. When thirty-six is fully recovered, I'll have it destroy Xavier and his precious school."  
  
"If she recovers, sir."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She shows no sign of regaining consciousness. She really ought to be in a hospital."  
  
"It!" Richardson glowered at Jerry, "has the best possible medical care right here. I will not allow that specimen out of my control again, I will destroy it first. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Then get out. I want to be notified the moment there is a change in it's condition."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
  
  
  
Jerry closed the office door behind him. He could not quell a surge of pity for the young woman these people insisted on calling an animal. She reminded him of his younger sister. He got the feeling that this was not the sort of organization that you could just resign from, so he determined to "softly and silently disappear" the next time he had the opportunity to go in to town. Maybe he could find this Charles Xavier person, and let him know where the girl was. Then again, with all the evidence of needless surgery and further experimentation, maybe he shouldn't. He'd have to think about it.  
  
  
  
The atmosphere at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters was dark, brooding. Wolverine spent hours in the danger room, smashing robots by the score. It did not seem to improve his mood. Xavier, Jean, and Cyclops searched for any clue as to where Curtis Richardson may have set up his new laboratory, with no luck.  
  
  
  
It was dark and silent when Star awoke. She could hear her own heart beating, but nothing else. Her head hurt and when she tried to lift it a wave of dizziness and nausea swept over her. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting against the darkness which threatened to engulf her once more. She tried to get her arms and legs under her, to help her rise, but her limbs were unresponsive. She was surrounded by a familiar odor, but she could not place it. She lifted her head once more, trying to identify the smell, and the darkness crashed in.  
  
  
  
Jerry reluctantly reported the girl's brief return to consciousness to Dr. Richardson. Two full days had passed and he had been alone with her when it happened. He had considered ignoring it, but he realized that the instruments recording her vital signs would show the change, so he contacted Richardson.  
  
"Good, good. Let me know the next time its awake. We will begin conditioning immediately."  
  
"Yes, sir." Conditioning? He didn't like the sound of that.  
  
  
  
Star nearly cried out when she recognized the odor surrounding her, but she bit back the sound, only the smallest moan escaping her lips. She was back in the Doctor's lab. She had come full circle. It was still dark and soundless, but this time she knew she was inside a psi-dampening field. She felt the vibrations of someone moving in the room with her. Gentle hands checked the straps on her wrists and ankles, loosening the strap on her left wrist. A straw was placed in her mouth, but she refused to drink. She would not cooperate. The Doctor only wanted a weapon, and she would not give that to him.  
  
  
  
Not long after she awakened, she was fitted with an earplug. She jerked her head, trying to dislodge it, but immediately stopped when the pain threatened to cause her to black out again. Suddenly, she heard the Doctor's voice, causing her to twitch with surprise.  
  
"Well, number thirty-six. You've had quite an adventure, haven't you?"  
  
"My name is Star," she said weakly.  
  
"You are an animal, number thirty-six. Animals do not have names." She could hear the gloating in his voice and knew she was lost. She closed her useless eyes again and surrendered to the ever present darkness.  
  
  
  
Jerry watched Dr. Richardson as he left the small room where the girl was being held. Her sightless eyes had disconcerted him, but when she had stated her name, he could hear the intelligence and strength of will housed in the tiny body. He made her as comfortable as possible, covering her with a blanket he had brought with him from his room. Her skin was extremely cool to the touch and her brief periods of awareness were not reassuring. She belonged in a hospital, not strapped to a table in the laboratory of a mad man.  
  
  
  
When his shift began the next day, the girl who called herself Star was not in the room.  
  
"Hey, David!" He called, spying the other technician in the hall. "Where's the, uh, specimen?"  
  
"She's in the lab. Doc wanted to see how cooperative she'd be with a little persuasion."  
  
"Persuasion? What do you mean?"  
  
"It this your first time to work with lab animals?"  
  
"Well, no, but..."  
  
"What sort of stimuli are usually employed with uncooperative animals?"  
  
"Pain."  
  
"Exactly." Jerry frowned and hurried to the lab.  
  
  
  
"Well, thirty-six, shall we try again?" he heard Richardson say as he entered. He saw the girl strapped to an X shaped contraption, her feet suspended just above the floor, her arms over her head.  
  
"I...can't...do what you want...Doctor," she said, lifting her head and looking toward them.  
  
"Really, number thirty-six, I have extended the field to encompass the test area. You mastered these little tricks right out of the hatchery. Now try again."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Very well," Richardson said, his voice reproving. "Let's see if we can give you the incentive to try harder." He pressed a switch on the console in front of him. Star screamed as the hundreds of tiny studs lining the framework to which she was attached each delivered a painful, and continuous, electrical shock to her body. Jerry cringed, powerless to help her. After what seemed to be an eternity, Richardson released the switch and the girl's body sagged within the restraints.  
  
"Now then. Are you ready to try again?" Her head hung down, her weight supported by the wrist straps. After several shuddering breaths, she lifted her head once more.  
  
"No." Her voice was barely audible.  
  
"You were such a cooperative subject, number thirty-six. I must say I am most disappointed in you." He reached for the switch again, but Jerry caught his wrist.  
  
"You dare interfere with my experiment?" Richardson was furious.  
  
"No, sir," Jerry said quickly. "But it may be too soon after the head injury for ... it to be able to perform as required."  
  
"All right. I believe I've made my point. Put it back in its cage." He dialed the psi dampener, built into the collar the girl wore, down. Jerry watched the fierce light in the girl's silver eyes fade into blindness.  
  
"Yes, sir." Richardson stalked out of the room, his anger at being balked was palpable. Jerry shifted the frame until Star lay on her back, then he unfastened the restraints and picked her up. He was surprised at how slight she was. She probably didn't weight seventy pounds. She shuddered when he touched her and he was at a loss as to how to reassure her when she could neither hear nor see him. He settled for holding her gently. He was loathe to return her to her room, but for now there was no option. He spread the blanket on the bare metal table before placing her on it. She seemed to be unconscious. He fastened the restraints, but only loosely, then brought the sides of the blanket up to cover her. He looked down at her for a moment, then turned and left the room. He had to get the kid out of here, before that lunatic Richardson killed her.  
  
  
  
Star lay on the table, trying to isolate herself from the pain. She was stronger than she had allowed the Doctor to know, but not by much. Even the effort required to see and hear caused her extreme pain. Her awareness of the room, limited to scent and vibration, faded in and out around her. She didn't recognize the technician who had interceded on her behalf. She hoped he wouldn't be hurt because of her. Her last thought, before the darkness claimed her once more, was of Wolverine. Tears stained her cheeks as she slept.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jerry picked up his tray in the cafeteria which served the laboratory complex and sat down at an empty table. He was trying to decide who he should contact about the girl when he heard Jones, one of the two mercenaries that had brought the girl in, complaining loudly to any who would listen.  
  
"I'd been on the force for sixteen years when I ran into that mutant. My own partner turned me in. Good ol' Barb. Guess she's gonna take that mutant lovin' pup Cowen as her new partner. I'm gonna get even with 'em both. Right after I get through with the Mutie, and that crazy mercenary. He actually threatened me!" Jerry put up his tray. At last, he had a name. And a policeman by the sound of it. It was too late to catch the shuttle in to town for the evening, but he would go tomorrow.  
  
  
  
"Look, Chuck, I've got my own sources."  
  
"Wolverine, if you will just be patient, I am certain..."  
  
"It's been four days, an' you ain't had a whisper o' where she might be," he glared at Xavier across the desk. "I can't just...do nothin'. I gotta try ta find her, on my own." Xavier nodded.  
  
"I understand, Logan. But, please, let us know if you find anything. Finding Star is important to the rest of us as well."  
  
"I'll let ya know if I can." Wolverine turned and left the room, nearly running in to Jubilee.  
  
"Wolvie?" He looked down at the youngest X-Man for a moment.  
  
"I'll be back, darlin'. Don't worry."  
  
"Why can't I go with you?"  
  
"Darlin', some o' the places I'll be goin', you'd be kinda conspicuous." He put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"'Sides, I need ya ta look after this place. Man's gotta have someplace ta come back to."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No, buts."  
  
"All right, Wolvie," Jubilee sighed. "But you be careful."  
  
"Careful as I can." He turned then, and was gone.  
  
  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Jean?"  
  
"You let him go?"  
  
"I really had no choice."  
  
"Did you tell him that Sabretooth has been seen?"  
  
"No. I want you and Scott to check that out." He sighed and took her hand. "They are too evenly matched, Jean. I couldn't risk Wolverine. Or Star."  
  
"I understand, Charles. Scott and I will leave immediately." She smiled at him. "It wouldn't do to have Wolverine beat us to our own lead." Xavier looked at her sharply.  
  
"No, I don't think he knows, but he does have a disconcerting way of finding things out."  
  
"Yes, he does, doesn't he."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next day the "conditioning" session continued. Jerry stayed away from the lab as much as possible, but the girl's screams echoed in his mind. He hoped this Cowen person could help, and quickly. She continued to refuse food or drink and Richardson ordered David to have her force fed. When Jerry was finally ordered to return her to her cage she hung limply in the restraints.  
  
"Any progress, Doctor?" he heard David ask Richardson.  
  
"Some, but not as much as there should be. It should be sufficiently recovered from the head wound by now. Why does it insist on resisting?" Jerry quickly released the girl, trying to be careful of the still healing wounds on her back, as well as the myriad new burns on body. She lifted her head, her blind eyes seeking his face for a moment before closing once more.  
  
  
  
He returned her to her room and placed her carefully on the table. He went to the next room and got a salve for her burns. He stepped back into the room and was shocked to find the table empty. He found her on the floor behind the table, and hurried to her. She cringed when he knelt beside her.  
  
"Please," he barely heard her. He lifted her back to the table and spread the salve on the burns, then he reluctantly fastened the restraints. If she fell from the table again, in her weakened condition she could seriously injure herself. Once more he covered her then, checking his watch, he smoothed her hair and hurried to catch the shuttle. Another day of "conditioning" would break her. Or kill her.  
  
  
  
Star was too weak even to cry when the technician strapped her to the table and left her. She wanted to cry, for herself, for all the other 'specimens' that had died before her, for Wolverine who could easily have died from his burns. In the end, she slept.  
  
  
  
Early the next morning the phone rang at Xavier's mansion. Gambit answered, then transferred the call to Xavier's study.  
  
"Professor Xavier."  
  
"Yes, Officer Cowen. What can I do for you this morning?"  
  
"A man named Jerry called the station last night, looking for me. I didn't get the message until this morning and when I called him back he was quite upset. He said he works as a laboratory technician for a Dr. Richardson and that Miss Star is being held in an old lab complex in Arizona. I'm trying to get a search warrant now, but the lab is on federal land so it could take a while."  
  
"I see."  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that we may have found her. I'll call again when I know more."  
  
"Thank you, Officer."  
  
"Good-bye, Professor." Xavier disconnected, then typed a command on his computer keyboard. A few minutes later he called Gambit.  
  
"I may have located Richardson's lab. Please get the others while I contact Jean."  
  
"Tres Bon, Professor."  
  
"Jean."  
  
"Yes, Professor."  
  
"We may have found Star. A technician contacted the police with the report that Star is being held by Richardson at his lab in Arizona."  
  
"We are in Phoenix now, Professor. We lost Sabretooth here, but we...uh...found Wolverine."  
  
"I see."  
  
"I told you."  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
"Do you know where the lab is located, Professor?"  
  
"I believe so." He told her where he believed the lab to be. "The others are gathering now. We will join you shortly."  
  
"All right, Professor."  
  
  
  
Less than two hours later the blackbird landed at a deserted air strip outside Phoenix. Jean and Cyclops boarded at once.  
  
"Wolverine...decided not to wait, Charles."  
  
"Of course. Shall we join him?"  
  
The blackbird took off once more and turned in the direction of the suspected lab.  
  
  
  
David was rougher than necessary with Star that morning. He was irritated at having to handle the specimen himself. Jerry hadn't returned from town last night, and one of the other technicians was ill, so they were short handed. He disliked dealing with this one in particular because he knew exactly how dangerous she was. He quickly moved her to the test room and put her roughly on the restraining device. She was visibly weaker than the previous day. One way or another, he shouldn't have to deal with her for much longer. He fastened the wrist strap cruelly tight and was startled when the girl moaned. He quickly fastened the remaining straps, but she didn't show any further sign of rousing. He would have to check her charts to find an effective stimulant. Dr. Richardson would want her awake when he arrived. He shifted the restraining frame to an upright position. The weight of her body, slight though it was, caused the overtight straps to cut into the already damaged flesh of her wrists. Her blood flowed sluggishly down her arms. David ignored the injury and located a stimulant to which she had not been exposed. He prepared a syringe and placed it on the control console. He would inject her just before Dr. Richardson was due to arrive. He left her then, alone and barely conscious, her body bound, her mind shackled, hopeless.  
  
  
  
"Mr. Jones, I find myself once more in need of your services." Richardson address the ex-policeman turned mercenary across his desk.  
  
"I figured you would. That's why I stuck around." Jones pulled out a chair and sat down uninvited. "You need me to fetch another mutant for you?"  
  
"No, Mr. Jones. The one subject I currently have is quite sufficient." He steepled his fingers, his elbows resting on the desk. "It is with number thirty-six that I require your particular expertise."  
  
"Yeah?" Jones sat up, more interested than before.  
  
"Yes. I understand that you were accused of unnecessary violence and brutality while you were on the police force. Is this correct?"  
  
"Those charges were never officially filed," Jones said, nonplused by the apparent change in subject.  
  
"Quite. However, I understand that you were quite ... thorough ... when you questioned a subject."  
  
"Yeah," Jones sat back. "I have a knack for getting a perp to cooperate."  
  
"In the case of number thirty-six I do not desire cooperation. It is obedience that I require. I can assure you, however, that there will be no charges of brutality." Jones got up, smiling.  
  
"I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Please keep in mind," Richardson said, as Jones opened the door of the office. "I do require that the subject remain alive, at least for the time being.  
  
"Do my best."  
  
"David," Richardson spoke into the intercom. "Please prepare the subject for immediate conditioning."  
  
"Yes, sir" David's voice was slightly tinny over the speaker.  
  
  
  
David sighed as he returned to the lab. He had hoped to complete a tissue culture he was running before Dr. Richardson would be ready for number thirty-six. He picked up the syringe and approached the girl. She lifted her head at his approach and he quickly checked the reading on the psi dampening field. It always disconcerted him when she reacted to him while under the field. He pushed her head back, exposing her white throat, a raw band showing under the collar. He located the large artery in her throat and injected the stimulant. Even as he withdrew the needle she shuddered, her brain flooded with the drug. She gasped and opened her eyes, following his movements even though she could not see him. As soon as Richardson arrived, he would go finish his culture.  
  
  
  
  



	11. The End

Star felt as though her brain were on fire as the drug coursed through her system. She could feel her heart beating frantically within her chest. She was sharply aware of the change in air pressure when Richardson and Jones entered, identifying them by their scent. David left immediately. Her vision returned abruptly, although it was limited to a small section of the room.  
  
"All right, thirty-six," she heard Richardson's voice over the speaker mounted on the wall near her head. "Shall we begin?" She didn't answer him.  
  
"Don't be tiresome, thirty-six. All the test results came back negative. Despite the head injury, your abilities should not be impaired. Please begin with the elementary telekinetic exercise." She still refused to answer, determined not to help him in any way.  
  
"Very well. Mr. Jones, if you please?" Jones stepped through the field wall and stood grinning down at her. "Mr. Jones has kindly offered his expertise in persuasion."  
  
"Don't worry, Mutie. This is gonna hurt you a lot more than its gonna hurt me." He slowly and deliberately closed his hand into a fist, then he struck her in the midriff. As much as the restraints allowed, she doubled over, gasping. He hit her again, this time in the side of the face. He hit her again and then again. Finally, unconsciously, she blocked his blow. He was surprised, but the wave of satisfaction she sensed did not come from him.  
  
"That's it, thirty-six. Defend yourself from this cretin. Show me how much your powers have developed since you were stolen from me." The thoughts were those of Dr. Richardson, though how she could hear them she didn't know. He was outside the psi dampening field. She lifted her head and looked toward him, though all she could see was the silver wall of the field.  
  
"Never," she said simply. She could feel his anger for a moment, then it faded.  
  
"Very well. Mr. Jones, please remember, I do still need it alive. For now." Her world once again closed in about her as he decreased the diameter of the dampening field. She felt the change in air pressure as he opened the door, then closed it behind him. Jones hit her again.  
  
"You know something, Mutie? I'm really enjoying myself."  
  
  
  
  
Sabretooth arrived after the 'conditioning' session had begun. He searched out Richardson.  
  
"My sources tell me the runt was snooping around in town yesterday. I figure he'll be here sometime today," he smiled at Richardson's expression. "I told ya he'd find ya. He might be a real pain, but he's no slouch. Where'd ya stash the frail? He'll look for her first. Then he'll come lookin' for you. Unless I get ta him first."  
  
"The specimen is in lab eight. Sub level one." Richardson told him quickly. He decided that perhaps it would be best if he left the laboratory complex, at least for the time being.  
  
  
  
"Professor, we're approaching the lab site."  
  
"Thank you, Scott. Jean, can you sense Star?"  
  
"No, Professor."  
  
"Neither can I. Have you been able to reach Wolverine?"  
  
"Yes. He's inside. He hasn't found Star, but he says Sabretooth is here."  
  
Cyclops put the blackbird down behind a hillock, so the plane wouldn't be seen from the laboratory. The X-Men left the plane and quickly approached the complex.  
  
  
  
Sabretooth took the stairs two at a time. He hadn't winded the runt yet, but he had the feeling that time was running out. When he opened the stairwell door, he immediately smelled blood. He quickly followed the scent and found himself outside lab eight. He opened the door and moved silently inside. The smell of blood was almost overpowering. As he watched from the glassed in control area, Jones drew back and struck the tiny woman in the face, further battering her already bruised features. The blood he smelled belonged to her. The sight of her bound figure, his blood; in an odd sort of way his daughter, enraged him. He hadn't killed his useless son when he'd had the chance, and he'd be damned if he let a human kill his daughter.  
  
"Don't touch her again, flatscan," he snarled as he moved from the control area to the lab itself. Jones whirled, then smiled as he drew the revolver at his waist and fired, striking Sabretooth twice in the chest. The larger man was thrown back by the force of the blows.  
  
"Well, well, what do ya know," Jones said, holstering his weapon as he looked down at Sabretooth. "I took out the mighty Sabretooth. And I can get rid of the girl now, too. I'll just tell Richardson that you killed her. How does that sound, mutant!" He laughed nastily and turned to the cabinet marked surgical supplies. He looked around in the cabinet until he located a large scalpel. He picked it up and moved toward Star. She lifted her head as he approached.  
  
"Oh, good. I was hoping you wouldn't miss this." He stroked her bruised cheek with the scalpel and laughed when she flinched away from the cold steel. He drew the back of the blade down her face and across her throat, the metal ringing slightly as it touched the collar. Turning the scalpel over in his hand, he pressed it against her body, just below her collar bone, smiling as the cloth of the sensor net, then the flesh beneath, parted. She shuddered as he drew the blade down across her body, but she didn't make a sound. Blood from the long, bone deep cut soaked the material of her skin-tight.  
  
"Couple more o' these oughta take care of you, don't ya think, Mutie?" He raised the blade once more, but dropped it as he was suddenly lifted off his feet and turned around. Sabretooth held the struggling man effortlessly at arms length, his claws buried in the back of his neck.  
  
"I told you not to touch her again," Sabretooth said, knocking the revolver away from Jones' groping hand.  
  
"But you're dead!" Jones gasped. "I killed you!"  
  
"I'm a lot harder to kill than that, flatscan. Let's find out how hard it is to kill you." He raised his other hand and slashed the ex-policeman across the belly. Jones screamed as he felt his flesh part, the hot blood cascading over his legs as his intestines spilled from his body. Mercifully, he fainted. Disgusted, Sabretooth threw the body away from him and turned to the girl.  
  
  
  
Wolverine heard the shots, though faintly, and moved toward them. He hadn't been seen yet, which was just the way he liked it. He entered the same stairwell Sabretooth had used just minutes earlier. He could smell both Sabretooth and blood, not an uncommon combination. He reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to follow the scent.  
  
  
  
Gambit silently opened the outer door of the laboratory complex and the X-Men slipped inside. The corridor was empty. Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, and Professor Xavier turned left, with Jean, Cyclops, Storm, and Beast moving to the right. They'd barely turned the corner at each end of the hall when a klaxon began to sound.  
  
"I t'ink dey know we here, mes amies" Gambit said as the sound of running feet reached them over the howl of the alarm.  
  
  
  
Sabretooth slashed the straps binding Star's ankles, then freed first one wrist, then the other. He caught her as she slumped away from the now defunct restraining device. He was supporting her, since she was unable to stand on her own, when the alarm bell began to ring.  
  
  
  
Richardson paled when the alarm rang. He reached for the dampener controls, determined that no one would steal his research. Besides, he had sufficient tissue samples to clone number thirty-six. He had theorized as to the result if the field were irised all the way down; it was time to test the theory. He slowly twisted the dial all the way, then turned to his private elevator which took him directly to his bunker. Once there, he switched on, first, the localized psi dampening field, which should protect him in the event that number thirty-six survived, then the security cameras. He was disgusted by the confusion he saw in his screens. The fools were being overwhelmed by a much smaller force. He pulled out his chair, sat down, and watched.  
  
  
  
Wolverine looked around quickly as the alarm rang. There didn't appear to be anyone on this level. Except Sabretooth. He moved quickly, following the blood scent.  
  
  
  
Star cried out and caught at the collar around her neck. She collapsed leaving Sabretooth to support her totally. He clawed at the collar, but it was impervious. He turned the collar around, looking for the catch. The girl was completely limp. She wasn't breathing and he couldn't see a pulse in her throat. He tried to pull the collar apart, without success. The door opened behind him and he turned, his fingers still wrapped around the collar. It was Wolverine.  
  
"Creed! Put her down!" Wolverine snarled.  
  
"Don't be stupid, runt! If I wanted to kill her, I'd a done it by now. Get this thing off her." He held Star's body out to Wolverine, indicating the collar. Watching Sabretooth closely, Wolverine stepped forward and carefully slipped one adamantium claw between the collar and Star's throat. He pulled and the metal parted, the collar falling away from the girl.  
  
Star's body, bombarded at once by all the blocked signals of her desperate brain, began to convulse violently. Wolverine held her tightly against his chest. After a long moment her tortured body began to relax.   
  
"Much as I'd like ta rip yer heart out, runt, I'll let ya keep it ta get the frail outta here."  
  
"Why?" Wolverine asked suspiciously, "What is she ta you?"  
  
"Let's just say ya shouldn't count on it makin' a difference next time." He turned for the door, opened it, and was gone.  
  
"Logan?" Star's voice was hardly more than a whisper, "I was afraid you were dead."  
  
"I'm real hard ta kill, darlin'."  
  
"Why did you come after me, after what I did to you?"  
  
"Girl, I wouldn't leave Creed here, much less a friend."  
  
"A friend." She rested her head on his shoulder, her battered body cradled in his arms. He glanced once at the body lying against the wall, then dismissed the dead man from his mind.  
  
He gently put Star in a chair in the control room. Some of her wounds required immediate attention or she would bleed to death before he could get her to the blackbird. He applied pressure bandages to the long cut across her body, swathing her from armpit to hip with gauze strips to maintain the pressure on the wound. He quickly wrapped her wrists, then picked her up. He didn't think she could walk, even if he were willing to let her try.  
  
"C'mon, babe. Let's find the rest o' the team, and blow this joint." She wasn't sure whether or not he meant that literally. As he turned to the door, he saw a large folder labeled with the number thirty-six. He grabbed it as the moved passed the control console.  
  
He opened the door to the hall, looking carefully in both directions before leaving the lab with Star. He moved quickly for the stairwell, using the same caution as before.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Richardson watched the battle with interest. It looked like he would have a chance to try out some of his personalized defenses. He activated a control panel beneath the myriad security screens. He smiled, for he had recognized his old rival Charles Xavier with the attackers. He believed one of the women to be Jean Grey. His devices should take out the two of them, at least. He reached for the dials.  
  
  
  
As Wolverine reached the top of the stairs, he called Jean.  
  
"Jeanne."  
  
"I hear you, Logan."  
  
"I've got Star."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"First floor, just inside the stairwell, West end o' the buildin'."  
  
"We're on our...ah!" Jean's cry reached him at the same moment that Star cried out in his arms. The stairwell door opened, revealing a guard armed with a machine gun. The man was firing even as the door opened. Wolverine turned, shielding Star with his body. He fell and both of them, new X-Man as well as old, lay motionless on the stairwell landing.  
  
  
  
Star fought the grip of the mechanical suppresser which threatened to snuff out her life. She pushed it back, regaining control of her body. She became aware of her surroundings once more and was horrified to find Wolverine lying next to her, his blood pooling on the floor beneath him.  
  
"No!" she screamed, forcing the boundaries further back. The guard, startled, turned his weapon toward her once more, only to have it disintegrate in his hands.  
  
"No more!" she cried, slowly, painfully, rising to her feet. "No more death! No more killing! No more pain!" Her voice could be heard throughout the complex now. Jean Grey and Charles Xavier began to breath again as Star smashed the equipment which bound them. Richardson stared as the control panel in front of him began to smoke.  
  
"No more, Doctor," he heard her clearly. He could see her on the screen in front of him. He would have sworn that her skin was beginning to glow. Her eyes blazed as she looked directly at the camera. "No more experiments. No more 'unsuitable specimens' destroyed. They were children, Doctor." She hadn't moved, but he couldn't help but feeling that she was closer. "Do you remember number twenty three, Doctor?" She asked him. "He was hatched out the lot just before mine. He was pyrokenetic. Do you remember what happened when his powers manifested? I do. I'm a telepath, Doctor, just as you desired. I couldn't close out his screams, his pain, as he died, burning from within. And the others. Do you remember them? Let me show you!" Suddenly she was inside his mind, forcing him to experience the sad, pain filled, and bitterly short lives of each of his specimens. "Now you use your knowledge to hurt others, to kill my friend, my love," he was only vaguely aware of her voice continuing as madness claimed him. "NO MORE!"  
  
Star threw her arms wide. The guard, too frightened to run, put his arm over his eyes as her body grew blindingly bright. Then the entire building disintegrated around them all, every piece of equipment, every floor board and ceiling tile exploded into dust at the same instant. Only the people remained. She harmed no one, not even Richardson. Everyone, technicians, guards, cooks, X-Men, fell into the area that had been the second sub level of the large complex. All landed safely, cushioned by Star as she hung suspended in space above them, glowing so brightly that no one could look upon her, rivaling even the desert sun.  
  
"No more," they heard her say. Abruptly, the glow was gone, leaving only a tiny woman falling through space. Rogue leaped upwards, catching her and gently bringing her to earth.  
  
  
  
"What the devil happened?" Wolverine asked suddenly, his healing factor allowing his rapid return to consciousness. Gambit offered him a hand up as he said,  
  
"Good question, mon amie."  
  
"Where's Star?" Gambit gestured and Wolverine turned to see Beast, Xavier, and Jean gathered around Rogue, who still held Star. He hurried to join them.  
  
"There's not a lot I can do for her here. We need to get her back to the blackbird."  
  
"Can do, sugah. Grab hold." As Rogue lifted skyward Beast clasped her ankle and the three of them rose out of the hole they'd found themselves in, and disappeared in the direction of the blackbird. Watching them leave, Wolverine ground his teeth in frustration. Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted him from his feet.  
  
"Come, Wolverine," Storm said softy. "We will join them." The remaining X-Men exchanged glances.  
  
"Gambit, give me a hand blasting a ramp up out of here," Cyclops said.  
  
"Can do, mon capitain," Gambit answered. The two men turned to a suitably unoccupied area of the pit which had once been sub level two of the laboratory complex, and began construction of the ramp.  
  
Xavier, Jean, and Jubilee under protest, began checking the 'survivors' for injuries. While several guards had been hurt during the melee with the X-Men, no one had been injured during the destruction of the building.  
  
"Hey, Jean," Jubilee called, "I need your help here."  
  
"What is it Jubilee?"  
  
"There's somebody down in this hole." Jean approached the small opening in the ground.  
  
"This looks like its been chiseled out of bedrock," she said as she peered into the dark hole.  
  
"You are certain that someone is down there?"  
  
"Yeah, he stuck his head out of a tunnel to the side over there. Ducked back inside soon's he saw me." Jean nodded, then reached for the man with her mind. He fought her telekinetic grip, clawing at the edge of the stone as she brought him up and out.  
  
"Professor?" Jubilee said as Xavier approached, his expression grim. "You know this guy?"  
  
"He is Curtis Richardson."  
  
"This's the guy that's caused all the trouble? I'm sorry I said anything. We shoulda left him in that hole."  
  
"He is uninjured, Professor," Jean said, ignoring Jubilee. "But his mind is gone. He is completely mad."  
  
"Leave him with the others, Jean. Ask them to care for him. Jubilee, would you be so kind as to ask Gambit to close this hole before someone falls in?"  
  
"Yeah, right," Jubilee stomped off toward the nearly completed ramp.  
  
"Jean, we are finished here. We should join the others at the blackbird."  
  
"All right, Professor." She lead Richardson to a clump of his technicians and requested that they care for him. There was a final explosion as Gambit closed the "emergency bunker" which had failed to protect Richardson. The remaining X-Men left the dust filled hole and walked toward the blackbird.  
  
  
  
"Star, darlin' can you hear me?" Wolverine asked anxiously, holding her hand while Beast treated her injuries, his own nearly healed.  
  
"Logan?" She answered faintly.  
  
"Yeah, girl." She turned toward him and opened her eyes. He was startled to find that they were blue, with no hint of the silver which had so dominated her face.  
  
"I feel strange."  
  
"Don't try to talk, Star," Beast interrupted. "Your ribs are broken, again, and I still need to assess your condition.  
  
"Hank," Wolverine said.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Take a look at her eyes." Star obediently turned to face Beast.  
  
"How very odd. Can you see?" She nodded slightly. "Well, we'll look into that when we have you stabilized. Wolverine, keep talking to her. I don't want her to sleep now."  
  
"You heard the man, girl. You gotta listen to me for a while." He continued to hold her hand as he spoke.  
  
"Why aren't you dead?"  
  
"Don't talk, darlin'. I told ya, I heal real fast. That's my mutation." She looked pointedly at his hand. He extended one claw. "These things? Naw, that ain't a mutation. That was done to me by some old pals o' mine. Star, don't drift away from me, now," he said suddenly as her eyes closed. She opened her eyes, focusing on him with difficulty.  
  
"She's badly dehydrated," Beast said to Storm. "Set up a saline drip, please." Rogue handed Storm the equipment she needed to start the IV.  
  
  
  
Star was finding it more and more difficult to understand what was being said around her. When Storm took her arm to start the IV, she turned her head to watch.  
  
"Star, darlin'," Wolverine said, trying to regain her attention. She didn't respond, so he gently turned her head back toward him. Her eyes didn't focus. He leaned forward and spoke to her again.  
  
"Star, c'mon girl." She looked at him for a moment, then her eyes drifted away again.  
  
"Hank, I'm losin' her here. How's she doin'?"  
  
"Not so good. Try again to get her attention. We need her help."  
  
"Star," he said sharply, taking her chin gingerly with his free hand. "C'mon, darlin'." He shook her gently and she looked at him once more.  
  
"Stay with me, darlin'. I can't lose you now." His voice was ragged.  
  
"Logan," she whispered. "I love you." Her eyes closed.  
  
"Star. Star! Hank!" Beast quickly checked her heart rate and respiration.  
  
"Damn. Storm, check that chart Wolverine had. See if it says anything about stimulants. I need something I can use." Storm quickly flipped to the appropriate page in the chart.  
  
"Henry, the information is here. Try this one." She snatched a vial out of the cabinet and tossed it to Beast. He injected the chemical into the IV line. Her over-taxed system responded sluggishly, her heart rate picked up only slightly.  
  
"Talk to her, Logan. Encourage her." Beast prepared a second injection and when her heart rate leveled off, still much too low, he administered it.  
  
"Star, baby listen to me. Stay with me, darlin', please!" Wolverine pleaded with the unconscious girl, trying desperately to reach her.  
  
"Damn, damn, damn!" Beast intoned as Star's heart rate dropped once more. "Got to get her blood volume up," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. He grasped the bag containing the saline and squeezed it, forcing the fluid more quickly into Star's vein. It wasn't enough. Her heart beat sluggishly once more, then stopped. Wolverine looked up at Beast who, returning his gaze with compassion, shook his head. Wolverine turned back to Star, his face stricken.  
  
"Logan,..." Beast began.  
  
"No. I won't let her go. I can't!" He caught her limp body up in his arms, holding her tightly to him. "Star! Star! Don't leave me!" he cried. "Jean, help me! I can't reach her!"  
  
Still a hundred yards from the blackbird, Jean gasped from the force of his cry across the psychic bond they shared.  
  
"Jean, what is it?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"Star!" Jean replied, closing her eyes and mentally leaping the remaining distance to the dying girl and her stricken friend. She linked her mind with his and together they plunged into the darkness surrounding Star.  
  
  
  
They found her, sitting in the sunshine. She was surrounded by trees and the sound of singing birds. She was smiling.  
  
"Star," Wolverine said, moving toward her. Jean stayed back. Wolverine took Star's hands and drew her to her feet. "Darlin', you gotta come back with me." She shook her head.  
  
"Logan, its so beautiful here."  
  
"You'll die, girl."  
  
"This is death, my ... friend. Life holds too much pain."  
  
"There is pleasure and beauty in life as well." She shook her head again, tears visible on her cheeks.  
  
"No, Logan."  
  
Jean was finding it difficult to keep them here as Star sank deeper into the final night.  
  
"Logan, we must go back." He glanced at her, then turned back to Star.  
  
"I'm stayin', Jeanne."  
  
"Logan, no!" both women cried together.  
  
"I won't leave you, Star. I need you." He pulled her into his arms. "I love you."  
  
"Logan, I can't hold on!" Jean held her hand out to him, but he refused to take it. Star stared up at him.  
  
"I love you, girl," he said again. Star turned and caught Jean's hand. The three of them were catapulted up and out.  
  
  
  
  
Jean cried out and slumped against Cyclops, exhausted by the effort required to reach Star.  
  
"Jean!"  
  
"I'm all right, Scott." She accepted his support for a moment, then turned to Xavier. "Professor, Star and...and Logan?"  
  
"I don't know, Jean." The X-Men quickly approached the blackbird.  
  
  
  
"Henry, we have a heart beat again." Storm told him. She handed him another vial from the cabinet and he injected Star with yet another stimulant. Her heart beat sluggishly at first, then with more strength. Her body remained motionless in Wolverine's arms. He held her tightly until he felt Rogue's hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Ya gotta put her down, sugah. Hank cain't take care of her here." Wolverine carefully lowered her, reluctant to release her.  
  
"She's not out of the woods yet, Wolverine, but we'll do everything we can."  
  
"She'll make it. I can feel her fightin'." He smoothed the hair around her face.  
  
Jean, Cyclops, and the others entered the blackbird.  
  
"Logan?" Jean asked quietly.  
  
"Jean. She came back with me."  
  
"No, Logan. She came back for you."  
  
"I know, Jeanne. Thank you." Cyclops put his arms around his love as Wolverine turned back to Star.  
  
  
  
Back at the mansion, Star was barely recognizable beneath the bandages Beast had used to protect her numerous injuries. Wolverine was constantly by her side. When Beast felt she was strong enough, Jean and Xavier tested her psychic abilities. Wolverine protested, but Star reassured him. He subsided, but glowered at them throughout the tests.  
  
"Star, your abilities...." the Professor began.  
  
"I know, Professor. I burned them out at the lab." She smiled across the med lab at Wolverine. "Why can I see now?" She asked.  
  
"I believe the neural pathways which allow for sight and hearing had been, shall we say, preempted by the forced development of your telepathy," Beast told her. "Once the ... obstruction ... was removed, normal senses returned."  
  
"But I'm still a mutant."  
  
"Very much so, dear."  
  
"Professor, what will my children be?"  
  
"Well," he began, casting a sidelong glance at Wolverine. "I'd say they have a better than even chance of being ... of below average height."  
  
They laughed and she held her hand out to Wolverine who quickly took it in his own, his love for the tiny woman undisguised.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
